Construction growth picks up pace

A pick-up in new business orders in March helped bring about a quickening in construction activity, after four straight months of slowing growth.

The latest edition of Ulster Bank’s construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — seen as the main barometer of health for the country’s building sector — shows a reading of 52.9 points for March, up from 52 points in February. Any score/rating above the 50 point mark signals a sector in growth mode.

However, the survey, published this morning, warned that while activity grew faster last month than in the previous one, the rate of expansion in the sector remains “much weaker” than seen during 2014.