The plunge in activity in the Northern Ireland construction industry continues and shows no let up according to the latest gloomy survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors published today.
Its market study covering the first quarter of 2009 revealed a sharp decline in workloads and pointed to the likelihood of further falls in construction activity right through the next 12 months.
Almost half of RICS members in Northern Ireland (47per cent) responding to the survey said their workloads fell — one of the most negative figures in the survey’s 25-year history.
The figure was broadly similar, but worse, than the reported decline in Britain.
RICS Northern Ireland chairman, John Davidson, said: “There are no major surprises in the survey. The significant pressure impacting on the construction industry during 2008 continues into this year and there is no indication that this will change over the course of the next 12 months.”
He added: “Significant job losses have already taken place in the local construction sector, with further losses likely.
“It is important that this doesn’t lead to a permanent loss of important professional skills that could be debilitating in future years.”
Public housing workloads in the province fell into negative territory during the quarter, as did public non-housing and infrastructure workloads.
However private housing workloads and private commercial and industrial workloads fell at a slightly slower pace, said the RICS.
Expectations of work over the next year are at their gloomiest ever, falling further into negative territory following the previous quarter’s previous record low.
PA