Tag: Construction Industry

Construction

Construction Industry Federation Annual Conference 2018

Are you attending this years Construction Industry Federation Conference?

CONSTRUCTING IRELAND 2040: HOW THE INDUSTRY WILL SHAPE COMMUNITIES, CAREERS AND COMPETITIVENESS IN THE NEXT 25 YEARS

This year’s Construction Industry Federation conference will be held in Croke Park stadium on the 2nd October.

What is this years objective?
The fundamental objective of the Construction Industry Federation conference is to deliver the vision of Project 2040 which aims to build a better society, boost our economy and create large scale employment.

As the Irish population is estimated to grow by one million by 2040, we will have increased demand for homes, transport, education and employment.

Project 2040:
Project 2040 will provide Ireland with a future of wellbeing, equality and opportunity for everyone, however we are inevitably facing a continual housing and infrastructure crisis.

Project Ireland 2040 estimates that 550,000 homes will be required over the next 20 years, and the National Development Plan commits €11.6 billion to providing 112,000 new social homes by 2027.

How can we meet the requirements of Project2040 and how will the Construction leaders of Ireland overcome these barriers?

Following the crash in the property market, employment in the building & construction industry fell which led to many skilled workers emigrating in the search for work.

The latest SCSI/PwC Construction Market Monitor Report 2018 states that skill shortages remain a serious challenge for Ireland’s construction sector.

The key focus for industry leaders needs to be a huge hiring drive, such as outreach programmes in school, but also a recruitment drive in order to attract skilled labour back to Ireland.

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, Read our blog!

What will be discussed at the conference?
On the day, the Construction Industry Federation have an amazing line up – we will hear from notable Construction industry members including:

Brian Morrisroe-Founder and CEO, Morrisroe Group and member of the Construction Leadership Council, UK on the topic of ‘What does the future hold for the construction workforce?: Future-proofing our industry’.

We will have an industry panel discussion on ‘Solutions and challenges to improving productivity and competitiveness’ with Ann Dooley (MD, Winthrop Engineering and Contracting Ltd) Gordon O’Regan (CEO, L&M Keating) Tara Flynn (Director, Paul Flynn Construction) Fergal Murphy (General Manager, Kingspan Insulation Ireland)

And many others discussing topics such as:

  • Ireland’s key capital infrastructure priorities
  • The challenge of mega infrastructure projects
  • Diversity, inclusion and skills development
  • The intersection of technology and infrastructure
  • The economic outlook and impact of Budget 2019

Who will be attending?
Construction Industry Federation members, Developers, Planners, Engineers, Contractors, Policy-makers and Service providers to the construction sector will attend and exhibit at the anticipated Construction event of the year.

Come by and say hello to us at our stand at the Construction Industry Federation conference on the 2nd October.

Industry News:
According to the Construction Information Services research team, ‘11,752 Republic of Ireland Construction projects valued above €38.9bn have been added or updated on their online database to date this year.

The Irish Times have conducted their monthly survey of cranes in Dublin. For the month of September, 93 cranes have been counted across the Dublin skyline, a record number since the newspaper launched their crane survey in February, 2016.

This is an increase of 13 more cranes since the last highest number recorded of 80 on December 1st, 2017.

According to Derry Scully’s (Group President at Linesight) review of the Irish construction industry performance thus far in 2018, he states that construction will continue to grow strongly into 2019. Looking back to the beginning of the year, Linesight predicted that construction activity would reach €20.1 billion. However, now in September it is looking like it will be closer to €21 billion.

We are seeing continual rapid growth, however we are only at 55% of the 2007 peak output of €38 billion, but it must be emphasized this peak was unsustainable and detrimental.

The economy is approaching full employment but we are still experiencing a construction skills shortage crisis. Recruitment is a concern for main contractors, sub-contractors, as well as the design professions.

With a smaller pool of young people entering skilled trades, Irish Construction needs to employ more women in construction if the industry is to have a sustainable future.

Read our Blog: Women in Construction – Barriers & Importance of Gender Inclusiveness

All of the above-mentioned activity is generally providing confidence for the country that we are moving in the right direction, but we certainly have a lot more work to do.

Click here to view all available jobs in Construction and Engineering.

If you would like to have a conversation about opportunities in the construction sector – please email Amy on abradley@servisource.ie or Joe on joe.kenny@servisource.ie

Construction

Thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry?

 

You’ve looked at the positives and thinking about making the permanent move – coming (home) to Ireland to work in the construction industry, but you want to ensure there are opportunities.

Following the crash in the property market, employment in the building & construction industry fell from 236,800 in 2007 to 83,400 in 2012.

If you were working in construction , you more than likely emigrated when the construction sector collapsed.

While some big issues are still in place; such as:

  • Brexit and its potential impact on new construction project demand,
  • Labour shortages, resources and tender price inflation;

The challenges today reflect the continued growth of the Irish economy itself; which can only be a good thing if harnessed.

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, you will be wondering:

Who is hiring?

The latest SCSI/PwC Construction Market Monitor Report 2018 states that skill shortages remain a serious challenge for Ireland’s construction sector. There is an under-supply of skilled tradesmen and industry experts – hovering between 53% – 84%.

The increase in construction output (expected to increase by 14% to approximately €19.5 billion in 2018) is positively linked to foreign direct investment. However to benefit from these investments; progressive infrastructure across housing and transportation are required.

The simple fact is, Ireland will need more construction workers/tradesmen if our building sector is to fully recover and our housing crisis is to be solved.

Due to it’s populous, Dublin has recovered significantly. In order to meet the demand of urbanisation; the government increased its capital expenditure on infrastructure development by 6.3%, from EUR3.3 billion in 2014 to EUR3.5 billion in 2015.

So who exactly is hiring?

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, most organisations in the construction industry, in all regions of Ireland are hiring, and these skills shortages offer you the perfect opportunity to make that move (home).

Regulatory changes

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, it is important to mention regulatory changes that have been implemented since the economic downturn (when you potentially left Ireland).

The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (SI 09 2014)

This regulation introduced a system of mandatory certificates of compliance at various stages in a construction process; where the building owner will be required to appoint competent designers, a competent builder, and a new entity, known as the assigned certifier; ensuring that the construction sector operates to a higher standard.

Get yourself up to date on these changes on the following link:

http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/building-standards/building-regulations/building-regulations

Salary expectations

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry – salary may not be in line with Sydney, London, Dubai etc. However, Dublin is moderately cheaper to live in; and if you make the move (home) to Ireland now, prove your worth, you can reap the benefits of the upturn in the economy

Effective from 19th October 2017, A Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) for the general construction industry has been signed into law by the Minister for State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, providing for mandatory terms and conditions in the construction sector, including pay, pensions and sick leave. (Notably electricians and plumbers are not included).

Most companies are taking direct action to address skills shortages where companies are running campaigns to attract engineers, architects and other construction professionals to come back to Ireland.

Salaries will differ dependent on what sector of the construction industry you are in however follow this link to give you an idea:

https://www.irishjobs.ie/careeradvice/construction-salaries/

Cost of Living

The Dept. of Foreign Affairs carried out a survey which reviewed the worst problems affecting Irish construction workers who had emigrated & returned home.

Findings from this survey revealed the main challenges are:

  • housing (43.4%),
  • car insurance (41.4%),

Housing:

It has been reported by the Employment Conditions Abroad that Dublin is now a more expensive place to live than the Silicon Valley.

A major factor in Dublin’s unwanted rise in the report is due to the rise in the value of the euro and a weaker dollar; as well as the fact that not just Dublin, but 10 European cities are now in the top 100 most expensive places to live category.

In the Action Plan for Housing, the Irish Government commits to a number of measures to increase the supply of housing to 25,000 units every year by 2020.

The plan also aims to improve the supply of units at affordable rates in the rental sector through measures such as the introduction of Rent Pressure Zones and the Living City and Rent a Room initiatives (IDA Ireland, 2017).

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, the reality is Ireland is an expensive country.

Workers should be compensated accordingly in terms of salary and with tax cuts last year, and government investment; these trends should afford you disposable income bringing stability to our public finances and to people’s homes.

But we would advise to get ahead of the curve and start looking now, get in touch with old friends, colleagues, everyone in your network and you’d be surprised what housing/rental opportunities are out there.

Car Insurance:

Despite recent research conducted by the Central Statistics Office, which indicated that the cost of motor insurance has dropped by 12.8% in the past 12 months, motorists are still seeing a rise on the rate of their premiums (AA Ireland).

If you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, the good news is there are insurance companies who are grabbing this opportunity.

Various companies are offering insurance policies to those with low or no, no claims bonus, especially those returning from overseas. Some companies to check out:

  • Quote Me
  • XS Direct
  • Non Standard Insurance
  • Chill Insurance

Although they are offering to insure, be warned you could expect to pay a little more than those who stayed in Ireland, but it will get you on the road which is advantageous in the construction industry.

The overall outlook is bright – if you are thinking of coming (home) to Ireland to work in the Construction Industry, there is copious work and salary opportunities in the this sector.

Ireland is ranked as the third most competitive economy and another plus – leading tax refund specialists say that they would guesstimate that 50% of returnees could have left money behind in the form of tax refunds.

Click here to view all available jobs in Construction and Engineering.

If you would like to have a conversation about opportunities in the construction sector – please email Amy on abradley@servisource.ie or Joe on joe.kenny@servisource.ie

 

Article Written By:
Donna Farrell