Job growth in construction is ‘building’

The tide is turning quickly — the country again needs building professionals to meet the demands of the uplift in construction.

So says Dr Joe Harrington, head of the School of Building and Civil Engineering at the Cork Institute of Technology, noting there are now very significant opportunities for a range of professions for school-leavers — and “very likely, a skills shortage, particularly at graduate level,” he says.

His comments tie in with a report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland that forecasts a 65% shortfall in graduate surveyor output to meet needs, based on economic growth of 3%; and tie in with recent CAO confirmation of renewed student interest in careers in property, land and construction.