The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) – a seasonally adjusted index designed to track changes in total construction activity – rose to 53.7 in August from 51.4 in July. This marked the first pick-up in the rate of growth in four months, with construction activity increasing at a solid pace midway through the third quarter.
Commenting on […]
With the Brexit deadline on October 31st fast approaching, Guaranteed Irish is reminding business members across various sectors nationwide of the need to prepare for Brexit. The business membership organisation is working closely with business members in the Irish construction industry and related sectors nationwide in preparation for a post Brexit economy with various events across […]
Ballymoney-based Dowds Group, a mechanical, electrical, facilities management and build contractor, has announced that it will create 68 new jobs by 2021 to support planned export growth. The Invest Northern Ireland-backed investment will further strengthen the company’s design and engineering capability, enabling it to target higher value ‘design and build’ contracts, particularly in the Great […]
Energia Group, the major all-island energy provider and infrastructure investor across Renewable Technologies, Flexible Generation and Customer Solutions, will invest over €3 billion in Irish renewable energy generation and related systems over the next 5 years. The announcement was made by Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, together with Energia Group […]
A new report from the CIF shows that 10,600 extra workers joined the construction workforce in 2018, up 8% year on year and bringing the total workforce to 145,500. There was a 20% increase in investment in building and construction in 2018, with €26 billion invested during the year. The report shows that housing investment […]
Hines, the international real estate firm, and partner APG Asset Management (APG) have commenced construction on the first new apartment buildings as part of the new Cherrywood Town Centre in South Dublin. The project will see 1,269 new apartments developed in Cherrywood Town Centre alone over the next three years, including 130 social units. The contract […]
Mechanical and electrical contractors King & Moffatt Building Services has officially opened its new global headquarters in Carrick on Shannon. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the company also announced that it will be significantly expanding its workforce with the creation of 50 new jobs and a further 40 jobs in the next two years.
The […]
Flynn, one of Ireland’s leading contractors and fit out specialists, is adding 50 new jobs to its current workforce over the next two years. This will bring its headcount to a total of over 200 by 2021.
These jobs will be based across its Irish operations and in the company’s London office. The new roles will […]
The Central Bank of Ireland has published a signed article from the second Quarterly Bulletin of 2018, published on 12 April 2018.
The article, ‘Where are Ireland’s Construction Workers?‘ by Thomas Conefrey and Tara McIndoe-Calder, considers the decline in construction sector employment in Ireland during the economic and financial crisis that began in 2008. One in […]
Manley Construction has exited examinership after 100 days following a High Court hearing in front of Justice Marie Baker. Following the hearing, the company can continue to trade normally, saving 45 construction and administrative jobs at its Duleek, County Meath headquarters.
Manley Construction has a strong portfolio of ongoing projects and this decision ensures the smooth continuation […]
A survey by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has found that on average approximately only 1 out of 10 construction workers are female. The survey found that on construction sites 99% of workers are male, whilst offsite, 54% are male and 46% are female. Of those women working in construction roles considered ‘offsite’ the majority […]
The construction industry has launched a transition year initiative to facilitate students interested in working in Ireland’s most innovative construction companies. The initiative will see students completing work experience in the offices of construction companies in addition to on construction sites.
Dermot Carey, Director, Safety & Training at CIF, said: “The construction industry has undergone significant […]
Over 50,000 jobs have been created in the construction industry since the lowest point of the recession in 2013. CSO figures indicate that industry has hired approximately 1000 people per month in this period. It is expected that 1 in 16 people in the economy will be employed in construction by 2019 as the industry […]
Exeter Property Company has appointed contractors for the construction of a new 110,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art logistics facility at Greenogue Business Park, just minutes from the Naas Road at Rathcoole. On completion, the company expects to employ over 200 people at the facility, whilst over 50 jobs will be created during construction.
“With the absence of […]
Strabane-based Fabplus is planning to more than double its workforce and turnover with support from Invest Northern Ireland. The investment is part of a three year expansion plan to increase its market share in the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, and gain a foothold in mainland Europe and Scandinavia.
Recruitment is underway to employ 83 additional staff at […]
79% of engineering employers expect their businesses to grow in 2018, a new Engineers Ireland survey has revealed. The findings indicate that engineering employers are very confident for the year ahead with 82% also planning to hire more engineers. 2017 was also viewed in a positive light by those surveyed, with 60% saying their financial […]
Gyproc, Ireland’s leading manufacturer of plaster and plasterboard and part of the Saint-Gobain group, has today announced the creation of 14 new jobs at its manufacturing facility in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. The announcement of the new jobs comes as Gyproc moves to a new four shift operation meaning the company now has the capability to […]
University College Cork (UCC) has unveiled its €350 million investment plan which will create more than 500 new construction jobs in Cork over the next five years.
Announcing his strategic plan UCC President, Professor Patrick O’Shea, outlined the development goals for UCC which include major capital projects and significant targets in the areas of philanthropy and […]
An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Frances Fitzgerald and Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring have welcomed the latest Quarterly National Household Survey figures from the Central Statistics Office, showing that employment continues to increase strongly with 48,000 more people employed in the year to Q2 2017.
An Tánaiste and Minister […]
Ibec has welcomed the strong jobs numbers recently published by the CSO. The numbers provide more evidence of broad positive momentum in the economy, despite Brexit uncertainty. Employment grew by 2.9% in the first half of the year, closely in line with Ibec forecasts.
The strongest growing sectors were ICT and construction which experienced growth of […]
Growth in the Irish construction sector eased again, with slower rises in both activity and new orders recorded. That said, rates of expansion remained marked and firms upped their rate of job creation. The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – a seasonally adjusted index designed to track changes in total construction activity – dipped for […]
The CIF will host its second Women in Construction Breakfast Briefing event #BuildingEquality from 8am to 10am on Tuesday 26th of September at Construction House.
This event follows on from the CIF’s very successful Breakfast Briefing Increasing Female Participation in the Construction Industry on International Women’s Day in March.
It is estimated that the construction industry will need over 112,000 new employees across […]
A new salary survey by Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland shows:
Median national salary for a Chartered Surveyor is €70K
Median salaries for women increased by 11% narrowing the pay gap between men and women to 5%
Over half of surveyors received a pay increase this year and 2 out of 3 are confident they will get one […]
A OnePoll survey commissioned by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the UK has found that despite an optimistic outlook about the gender pay gap figures across the construction sector, with nearly half (46%) of construction workers predicting the gap will be less than 15% by April 2018, businesses need to do more […]
The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton together with the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor and the Minister of State for Training and Skills, John Halligan have announced a comprehensive review of the National Training Fund.
Minister Bruton indicated that today’s announcement is in direct response to the issues raised in […]
The Labour Court has made recommendations to Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Frances Fitzgerald on new pay rates in the construction sector. It is the first recommendation from the court under a new framework established two years ago to replace the Registered Employment Agreement system that was ruled unconstitutional in 2013.
The court […]
Despite the levels of construction activity still being relatively low in the south east with a high dependency upon work outside the south east for CIF members in the region, the CIF South East Branch acknowledge the need to promote careers in the construction industry to prevent a skills shortage in the future. Indeed, there […]
Engineers Ireland has urged Leaving Cert students to engineer their future and consider a career in engineering. Caroline Spillane, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “As we celebrate the achievements of women in engineering on International Women in Engineering Day, we must highlight the critical need for diversity within the profession. Our future engineers will […]
According to the CIF, its Top 50 Contractors list for 2017 provides us with a unique snapshot of the Irish construction industry. This is an industry that has faced many challenges throughout the last decade, and is once again experiencing growth. The companies featured in the latest issue of Construction Magazine are the elite and […]
The number of apprentices entering the Construction industry dropped sharply in recent years. However, new apprentice registrations must rise from 1,700 to 4,000 by 2020 to deliver Ireland’s housing and infrastructure requirements.
In 2016, the CIF launched the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme in conjunction with SOLAS, which enables member companies to form a consortium to take on […]
Grant Thornton has announced it is to create 250 new jobs across all areas of its business operations in Ireland. A significant number of the new posts will be in its Centre of Excellence, which provides a new framework for the delivery of global compliance and reporting services, from its base in Ireland.
Welcoming the announcement […]
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Séamus McGrath, together with representatives of Cork County Council and Atkins have signed contracts in respect of the Carrigaline Western Relief Road. Atkins will provide detail design services for the project from their local office in Cork.
Martin Jennings, Project Director Atkins commented: “Atkins is delighted to be appointed […]
BAM and Global Student Accommodation Group (GSA) have signed a €43 million contract for the construction of Uninest Mill II, an additional residence being built next to GSA’s 400 bed flagship residence, Uninest New Mill, which is opening in September.
The construction of Uninest Mill II in Merchant’s Quay, Dublin, is expected to create approximately 250 […]
Construction employment could rise to 213,000 by 2020 based on DKM and SOLAS analysis. However, Ireland’s economic recovery may be hampered by a potential skills shortage within the construction sector, if more is not done to attract people into and to develop those already in the industry.
The Construction Industry Federation recently addressed the Oireachtas Joint […]
The CIF has stated that the number of new apprentices entering construction must more than double by 2020 or the State will need foreign competitors to satisfy market demand. Dermot Carey, director of safety and training at the CIF, also said that construction employment could rise to 213,000 by 2020 and that the number of […]
The Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton and the Minister of State for Skills, Research and Innovation John Halligan has welcomed the opening of the Apprenticeship Council’s second call for new apprenticeship proposals.
Minister Bruton and Minister Halligan have called on employers to come forward with apprenticeship proposals. For companies, the skills that will be […]
The management company for Blanchardstown Centre has lodged a planning application to extend the centre’s central mall area. The application by Multi Corporation involves a 60,000sq ft development which is expected to create a number of new large retail units on both the lower and upper central mall levels. Some tenants are said to be […]
Dublin’s tallest office building, The Exo, will stand at 73m high and could accommodate up to 2,000 office workers. Located at Point Square in Dublin’s Dockland’s, it was announced this week that tender has been issued for the appointment of a building contractor and that Savills and CBRE have been instructed to seek pre-letting agreements […]
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the largest trade association in the UK construction industry, has stated that migrant labour is crucial to the sector and that in London alone, more than half the industry’s workforce is made up of non-UK nationals.
The group called on the next Government to make sure construction firms have enough […]
Foster + Partners is planning a number of staff redundancies as part of a restructure at the architecture and design practice. According to company sources, “under 100” staff are at risk of redundancy, primarily based at its London HQ in Battersea.
The practice said: “Foster + Partners has grown significantly over the last two years with […]
Commenting on the recently announced CSO housing figures, CIF Director General Tom Parlon said the current housing shortage is the result of a decade of underinvestment in the housebuilding sector compounded by an infrastructure deficit and a market failure in finance for homebuilders. “Currently housebuilding, outside Dublin and Cork, cannot attract finance at viable rates […]
JJ Rhatigan & Company has just started work on the Gardens International Office Development project in Limerick, the first Limerick Twenty Thirty contract. The 100,000 sq. ft. office development is the first of three major projects that will transform inner city Limerick, creating 1.4 million sq. ft. of prime real estate for various uses. The […]
Irish building company Grafton Group has announced it is adding 170 new jobs in Ireland over the next two years as the construction industry in Ireland continues to improve. Grafton owns a number of builder and plumber merchant stores including Chadwicks, Heiton Buckley, Sam Hire, Telfords and Davies. One hundred of the new jobs will […]
The Ulster Bank Construction PMI Report (RoI) has found that the rate of expansion remained strong in the Irish construction sector amid reports of improving client demand. New order growth was sharp and only marginally weaker than in February. Constructors responded by raising their own input buying and employment levels. Business confidence remained positive as […]
Linesight’s annual Ireland Handbook for 2017 has stated that construction could create up to 80,000 new jobs if it were to grow to full capacity. The Handbook also shows that the building industry grew by 18% in 2016 and is set to grow by a further 15% this year.
According to the firm, commercial building in […]
Work on a new housing development worth €300 million in Carrigaline, Co. Cork has begun. Astra Construction Services are building 800 homes on the 100-acre site, situated on the Cork road before Carrigaline town. One of the most significant developments in the county, Janeville will comprise 3, 4 and 5 bedroom, BER A rated, detached […]
A pilot programme in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), supported by J.P. Morgan and ESB, aims to prepare young people from Dublin’s inner city communities to access apprenticeship positions. The programme will build on the specific expertise and track record of DIT in the delivery of skills education and in supporting young people into third […]
Over 450 jobs will be created with the construction a new office block in Cork city’s South Mall. The state-of-the-art, five floor offices are scheduled for completion in summer 2018 with work set to begin immediately, subject to planning permission. Cork-based property development company JCD Group has lodged a planning application for a €25 million […]
Renewable energy firm Amarenco Solar has received planning permission for a 5MW solar farm in Cork. The farm, which has been given the go-ahead by Cork County Council, brings to eight the number of facilities for which Amarenco has been granted permission. Each farm will see an investment of €7 million, for a total of […]
The redevelopment of Clerys department store on Dublin’s O’Connell Street will provide a “new focus and heartbeat” to the city centre, a planning hearing has heard.
Architect Rory Murphy from Henry J Lyons said development of the existing building would “reactivate” Earl Place and other under-used streets just off the capital’s main thoroughfare. The proposed development […]
The Bolands Quay Development Group – a collaboration between property consultants Mark Reynolds & Glenn Cran of Savills Ireland and Cleary McCabe – has announced that BAM Ireland has been selected as the preferred bidder for the construction of the Bolands Quay Development (formerly Boland’s Mill) in Dublin’s south docklands.
Following an extensive tendering process, the […]
The location for paramilitary trials during the Troubles, the Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast is to be transformed into a luxury hotel. Liverpool-based hotelier and developer Lawrence Kenwright said he has acquired the derelict courthouse and intends to spend £25 million (€28.5 million) restoring the listed building.
Details of the plans were announced at the Belfast […]
According to a report by Reuters, many of the UK’s leading housebuilders are planning or considering new developments of prefabricated homes in response to the prospect of Brexit cutting off supply of EU workers into Britain. The UK construction sector relies heavily on European carpenters, joiners and bricklayers. Approximately 12% of its 2.1 million construction […]
Activity in the construction sector rose sharply last month, according to the latest Purchasing Managers Index from Ulster Bank. Ulster Bank’s Construction PMI for February stood at 57.9, up from 55.7 in January and well above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction. Housing activity saw the strongest pace of growth in February, with […]
Over 100 men and women attended the Construction Industry Federation’s (CIF) recently-held breakfast briefing on Increasing Female Participation in Construction. CIF Director of Industrial Relations, Jean Winters said: “The Construction industry is a very male dominated industry. We have about 136,000 people in the sector and just 8% of these are women. Unfortunately we don’t […]
The September – December 2016 InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Report, issued on Monday, shows that 37 percent of construction companies surveyed reported difficulties recruiting skilled labour, with 33 per cent citing a lack of appropriate skills in their current workforce.
“We are seeing a resilient, sustained recovery and notable symmetry in challenges faced by firms both North and […]
Activity in the Irish construction sector rose sharply in January on the back of higher new orders, according to the Ulster Bank Construction PMI Report, released on Monday. The survey highlighted a near-record rise in employment as companies responded to greater workloads.
The rate of input cost inflation quickened to the sharpest since February 2007 according […]
A €20 million office development at Camden Place will provide 150 construction jobs with up to 500 jobs coming on-stream in Cork city centre on completion, the Cork Chamber of Commerce announced on Thursday. Demolition will commence in February, with work on the 65,000 square foot of lettable floor space expected to take 12 months.
Award-winning […]
The Magazine – Construction Summit
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