Scottish housebuilding 'could lose 30,000 jobs' this year

The Scottish housing industry could lose 30,000 jobs in 2008 because of the economic slowdown, according to industry trade body Homes for Scotland.

The organisation made the dire prediction to the Scottish Parliament's economy committee.

Homes for Scotland's Allan Lundmark said that 15,000 jobs had been lost in housebuilding north of the border by the end of June.

But he added: "As of last week, we think that figure could have moved to 30,000."

This excludes jobs for surveyors and estate agents, the committee was told.

The Scottish Government's target of building 35,000 homes a year by 2015 is now in doubt as a result of the sharp contraction of the housing sector, according to Mark Hordern of Glasgow Solicitor Property Centre.

He told the economy committee the housebuilding industry was "bad" and getting "quite rapidly worse".