Construction sector optimism rise

Optimism is emerging in the construction sector, with almost half the country’s builders expecting business to grow over the next 12 months.

The latest Ulster Bank Construction PMI indicates that while the construction sector continued to contract at the end of the first quarter of 2012, strong optimism was also recorded among the building sector

“Business sentiment was at its highest since January 2007 in March and, as such, was the strongest since the current downturn in activity began [in June 2007],” the report says.