Construction BUSINESS

NO REPRO FEE: DUBLIN: 28.09.12: Pictured was CIF Director General Tom Parlon, speaking at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Annual Conference ?Building for the future of the construction sector?. The conference took place in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on Friday 28th September 2012. During the course of the conference CIF Director General Tom Parlon warned the Government that they risk completely crippling the construction sector if they sacrifice any more capital spending on the altar of unsustainable current expenditure. Pictured by Conor McCabe Photography….For further information contact Jimmy Healy, CIF – 087 6479104.

CIF Director General, Tom Parlon, had welcomed strong employment growth in the construction industry but warned that certain construction sectors faced a looming skills shortage.

“Employment in the construction sector rebounded strongly in the first quarter of this year, showing an increase of 9,500 new jobs, a rise of 7.8 percent.  This is an increase of 28,000 jobs since the first quarter of 2012.  The industry has been adding jobs at a rate of about 1000 per month since the end of 2014.  There is a huge potential regional and national jobs dividend from the construction industry.

The employment growth is occurring in civil engineering, contracting and in trades as the industry ramps up to meet the demand of Ireland’s rapidly growing economy and population.  We’re seeing more cranes and data centres, rather than housing at this stage of the economic cycle.  As industry is looked to ramp up to an annual housing output of 25000 by 2021 and the equally challenging objective of delivering €27 billion in infrastructure projects, we are predicting a significant skills shortage in the sector within five years.  This has the potential to delay critical projects such as the Government’s ambitious social housing programme and infrastructure projects acround the country.

Without an estimated 60,000 on the live register with construction experience, the CIF is engaging with Solas on a number of innovative approaches to upskill people and get them on sites as quickly and safely as possible.  Our Shared Apprenticeship Scheme rolled out in Wexford allows apprentices experience working with a number of companies whilst developing essential skills in  We have also launched a website www.apprentices.ie that aims to match employers and job seekers to suitable apprenticeships across the country.”

CIF is the Irish construction industry’s representative body. All stakeholders recognise the CIF as the voice for construction because each sector and region are represented. CIF is member-led organisation through its 34 member Executive Committee. All members of this committee and other policy-groups are appointed from and by the CIF’s branches and associations. The executive committee directs a team of executives, subject matter experts and support staff in pursuing the objectives of the CIF’s committees, associations and branches.