Nearly one in three Scottish building employers believe leaving the EU would have a negative impact on their business, according to the Scottish Building Federation (SBF).
Just 8% of builders surveyed said the impact was likely to be positive, with more than 40% staying neutral and a further 20%unsure what the effect would be.
SBF’s latest Scottish Construction Monitor also shows a further drop in construction employers’ confidence about the future outlook for their businesses, compared with the final quarter of 2015.
It is the 11th consecutive quarter in which a positive overall confidence rating has been recorded for the industry.
But the latest rating is only marginally positive overall, having slipped by a further five points to stand at plus three.
In anticipation of the forthcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, the survey asked a series of questions about Scottish construction companies’ level of exposure to the EU in terms of labour, supplies and exports.
Nearly a quarter (23%) said they employed people from other EU countries and 77% said they did not
One third said they procured goods and services from other EU countries, while two thirds did not. Only 6% of the businesses surveyed said they exported to other EU countries.
SBF managing director Vaughan Hart said: “There is limited interest in or enthusiasm for the European Union among construction employers.
“But out of the minority of building companies responding who think the UK leaving the EU would have an impact on their business, four times as many think this impact would be negative as those who think Brexit would be good for their business.”