Construction sector jobs fall to six-year low

The number of jobs in the troubled construction sector is at its lowest level for six years, experts warned today.

According to the FAS/ESRI employment and vacancies survey, the amount of building work across the country has dramatically fallen over the last few months.

Economists said the three-month average of construction jobs continued to decline in April, falling by two points to 5%.

This is the lowest figure in the sector since the survey began in May 2002.

The survey also reported that company bosses expect employment levels to fall rather than rise over the coming months.

The Net Employment Expectations (NEE) revealed that employers fear for future jobs prospects in three of the four main sectors – construction, industry and retail.

Managers in the service sector were the only bosses offering any signs of hope.

The outlook in construction continued to deteriorate and is now at its lowest since the survey began in May 2002.

“Although construction employers were gloomy about future employment in the sector this time last year, this month’s NEE indicator suggests that their outlook has become much more pessimistic since then,” the survey said.