Construction activity falls 5.7%

Building and construction activity fell in the third quarter of the year, with output down by 5

Building and construction activity fell in the third quarter of the year, with output down by 5.7 per cent, new data showed today.

The main sectors influencing the negative figure was civil engineering, which saw output decline by 11.8 per cent compared to the preceding quarter, and residential building, which dipped 12.2 per cent.

However, non-residential building recorded an increase of 5 per cent quarter on quarter.

The data also indicated a 5.9 per cent drop in the value of production for all the building and construction.

On an annual basis, the volume index of output in the sector fell by 31.2 per cent, while value fell 29.9 per cent. This was driven by a fall of almost 39 per cent in residential building and more than 28 per cent in civil engineering work. The non-residental sector fell by 27.7 per cent.

This compares to a decrease in the year to the third quarter of 3.6 per cent in the EU27, with the UK rising 8 per cent, Poland increasing 7.7 per cent and Lithuiania up 6.7 per cent. Spain recorded a larger decrease than Ireland, at 35.5 per cent.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist