CIOB NEWS
construction PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES IN IRELAND’S CONSTRUCTION
SECTOR EXPLORED IN CIOB’S ‘BUILDING UP IRELAND 2023’ REPORT, URGING ACTION FOR POLICY STABILITY…
CIOB report reveals insights and challenges in Ireland’s construction sector
A new report, ‘Building Up Ireland – Professional insights from the construction sector in 2023’, has been published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the world’s largest professional body for the built environment. It gives a snapshot of the current economic state of the Irish construction sector, including output and pay, and provides insights from CIOB’s members in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on the challenges faced by the industry. Members from both regions agreed attracting staff is a problem that has been exacerbated by changed work practices post-pandemic. They say pay is no longer the key factor for many jobseekers with flexibility and location having moved up the priority list. There is acknowledgement the sector needs to adapt to homeworking where possible, to attract new recruits, while emigration was also flagged by CIOB members as a factor in their
recruitment challenges. Many construction workers who have emigrated have opted not to return due to housing and cost of living challenges in contemporary Ireland. CIOB members say that to make up for this loss of talent, the Government needs to have clear messaging on immigration, which is currently lacking. Longer term, the report says the sector needs to engage with schools and attract children early. Currently, there is engagement with secondary schools, but it is claimed this is not early enough as younger children often have a natural aptitude and interest in construction activities, and this should be seized upon. CIOB’s report also highlights concerns from its Irish members about supply chain instability, partly down to rises in inflation, which they say is resulting in tenders being delayed and some projects becoming unviable. Those involved in the residential sector pointed out there has been a massive slowdown due to these
viability challenges, particularly in building apartments – the very housing type national policy is trying to incentivise. Furthermore, CIOB members involved in office building pointed out how the commercial property sector has become a problematic environment post-Covid and has dropped off almost entirely in Ireland’s cities. Spec offices are no longer being built, and many projects are being mothballed. At the end of the report, CIOB calls for “policy stability” in the built environment sector following more than a decade of flux and changes to the likes of housing standards, planning policies and building regulations. Throughout the report, CIOB and its members are clear that action is needed by way of new and improved policies if Northern Ireland and Ireland are to deliver on their housing and infrastructure ambitions. The full report can be downloaded for free from www.ciob.org/building-up- ireland-2023
Joseph Kilroy, CIOB Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. T: +353 (0)1 513 8950 - M: +353 (0)8 7119 4475 - E: jkilroy@ciob.org www.ciob.org
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