Construction industry in Northern Ireland at 'crisis point'

The construction industry in Northern Ireland is at 'crisis point' with up to 9,000 jobs lost or under threat, the Northern Irish Construction Employers' Federation (CEF) has warned.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by the CEF warned that the collapse in the housing market meant that:

• 3,000 jobs had been lost in the 12 months to 20 June
• House builders are predicting a further 1,500 to go by June next year, if conditions did not improve
• Up to 4,000 jobs had been lost in 2007/08

John Armstrong, CEF managing director said: “Our survey reported over 3-4,000 construction jobs lost in 2007/08 and forecast a further 4-5,000 jobs under threat in 2008/09."

And he called on the Northern Ireland Executive to devise a programme to encourage first-time buyers into the market, as well as to stimulate affordable housing projects.

"Our survey shows that thousands of jobs have been lost, more are under threat and that the industry is planning to cut back on recruitment of apprentices, which will impact on the industry even further when recovery comes.

“This sector has been a major driver of growth over the past decade, to let it collapse now would take a generation to recover,” he added.