Construction jobs are not as plentiful as they once were in Dublin, according to a report by a think tank.
Key points:A report says Dublin has lost 1,300 construction jobs since 2015The report comes as construction sector is on the brink of a major recessionThe report, titled ‘Construction Jobs Are Not As Larger As They Used To Be’, suggests the boom in the construction sector may be in danger as demand for jobs has been hit by the financial crisis and recession.
In a report titled Construction Jobs Are Undermined, the Institute of Building, Land and Infrastructure said that between 2015 and 2020, there was a 1,500-1,800 per cent fall in the number of construction jobs.
This was despite an overall increase in the employment rate and a slight decrease in the unemployment rate.
The report also noted that a small number of new construction companies were now competing for the same jobs.
In 2016, the Irish construction sector employed over 4,000 people, with the number increasing to more than 6,000 in 2021.
It comes as a report from the National Construction Union (NCU) has said the number and strength of new jobs is at its lowest level in nearly 20 years.
In its latest jobs report, the NCU found the number had fallen by just 0.4 per cent in the three months to December.
However, it also said that the number was still higher than it was at the start of the year and that construction companies are still hiring.
It said the NCUS also found that while the construction industry had added 2,700 new jobs between November and December, the number fell by 0.2 per cent.
The NCU’s general secretary, Dermot Kelly, said there were currently 5,700 construction jobs on offer in Ireland, with 2,500 of them being in the first two months of 2017.
He said: “There are fewer jobs for people to get into the construction, and fewer opportunities for people who do get into that field to actually build the buildings that they’re working on.”
However, he said that there were signs that this could change.
“There is a lot of optimism that construction will be a big thing in Ireland.
People are getting into it.
There are people looking at the job market and wanting to go into it,” he said.”
I think it is a great time to be building, to have it in your back pocket.”