Construction sector ‘officially in recovery’

The Construction Industry Federation has said a 15.5% increase in construction activity in the last 12 months shows the sector is “officially in recovery”.

However, in spite of an identified shortage of houses in some parts of the country, there was a drop of 7.4% in the level of housing construction in the third quarter of 2013 compared with the previous quarter.

The figures are contained in the CSO’s latest Building and Construction Index. It found there has been a 16.6% rise in civil engineering activity and a 6.9% increase in non-residential building between the second and third quarters.