Almost 300,000 employed in construction

A total of almost 278,000 people are directly employed in construction, which is an increase of over 15,200 new employees since June of this year, according to figures released by the CSO.

"This continued job growth clearly demonstrates the importance of construction to the Irish economy, with employment growth in all regions throughout Ireland," read a statement from the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

Head of research of the CIF, Peter Stafford said: “These figures from the CSO demonstrate the continued growth of the construction sector in Ireland and the vibrancy of the industry. The CIF is confident in the future of the construction industry and the continued growth in employment demonstrates clearly the capacity of the construction industry to meet the needs of the economy.”

"The Construction sector provides employment for around 13% of the Irish workforce. This reflects the importance of the construction industry to the Irish economy and the level of expansion across areas such as infrastructure, housing and commercial development.”

"The CIF predicts continued growth for the construction sector for the remainder of 2006 and into 2007, across all regions," said Mr Stafford.