Employment in the construction industry fell by almost 2 per cent in the year up to November 2001, it was reported today.
The figures were released this morning by the Central Statistics Office, who surveyed employment in private building firms with five or more workers. The figures keep the trend of decline revealed in similar figures for September and October 2001.
The news follows a warning from the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) last week that up to 10,000 jobs will be lost in the building industry in 2002 due to the economic slowdown.
In its Annual Review and Outlook, the CIF said: "Employment in construction is following the trend in activity. Concerns about capacity constraints in the construction industry are no longer an issue".
It called on the Government to use the spare capacity to deliver projects promised in the National Development Plan.
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