Construction ‘turns corner’ with 10,000 jobs on cards

Up to 10,000 additional jobs are expected to be created in the construction sector this year, on the back of an anticipated €1 billion increase in the value of building activity during the year.

According to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), the value of construction activity should increase to around €11bn in 2014. This would be up from the estimated €9.9bn value noted in 2013, which itself was an improvement on the €9.07bn worth of activity seen in 2012.

According to the CSO, construction sector employment levels grew by 9,100 between the first and third quarters last year. “We expect to see a strong increase in construction activity during the course of the coming year. For the first time in seven years there are a lot of reasons for the construction sector to have a positive outlook for the upcoming year,” said CIF director general Tom Parlon.