Construction pay bill down 50% since 2008

In spite of a slight recovery in the construction industry, the total amount paid out in earnings in the sector is more than 50% lower than at the height of the boom.

The latest figures on earnings and labour costs from the Central Statistics Office show that, while average pay in the construction sector has stayed relatively static — €39,136 in 2008 compared to €37,884 in 2014 — the total wage bill across the sector has slumped from €5.54bn to €2.55bn over the same period.

The decline reflects the fact that employment numbers in the sector are still a fraction of what they were at the height of the boom.