Architects face jobs ‘bloodbath’

Members of the the architecture profession have said they are experiencing a “bloodbath” as the latest victims of the recession. New research reveals more than 65 per cent of practices in the UK have seen workloads drop and half have had to lay off staff, according to a survey by The Architects’ Journal.

The revelations come just days after Lord Foster had to lay off 400 staff from his firm. The return of the three-day week also appears to be spreading across the profession, with 14 per cent of architects saying they were working fewer hours.

The Journal’s editor in chief, Kieran Long, said: “We were shocked by the pessimism in the industry.”

Deborah Saunt, of architecture firm DSDHA, said: “A ‘bloodbath’ is how it has been described to me.”