At Sherlock Recruitment, we like to keep an eye on some of the major Construction Industry Trends each year. In 2017, we have noted that there has been a significant increase in activity present in the industry however a prominent skills deficit in certain sectors has caused shortages in the supply of labour. Below we discuss the reasons behind these and also the impact that Brexit may have in the future according to business owners in the industry.

Skills Deficit

One of the major Construction Industry Trends in 2017 which Sherlock Recruitment have taken note of is the lack of skilled construction worker. PWC reports that 73% of industry professionals had difficulties recruiting individuals with specific skills in 2016. Many of Ireland’s skilled workers decided to emigrate during the recession when there was a lull in the construction industry. This has caused problems in the industry now as there has been an increase in the demand of skilled workers as construction activity has been rising steadily. In particular, these shortages have been present in the search for quantity surveyors and engineers. We have a selection of jobs already advertised so if you’re looking to come back, have a particular skillset or know a friend check out our jobs section.

Increased Activity

Activity in the Construction Industry has been consistently rising for the last four year. In May, the construction industry index rate rose to 63.6, the highest it’s been in over a year. This also indicates the output in the industry is at it’s highest rate since 2001. The Government are taking the ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ action plan seriously to tackle the country’s housing supply shortage. For this reason, the majority of this activity has been driven by the residential sector.

Brexit

Since Article 50 was activated, there have been many fears in the construction industry regarding the effects it may have. Many business believe that the impact of Brexit on the industry will be negative. However, it’s believed that with the exit of the UK from the European Union this will cause an inevitable drop in construction material costs on goods imported from the UK due to Foreign Direct Investment to Ireland according to a survey from PWC.

Be sure to check out our jobs section too if you feel you can get the country one step further to decreasing the gap between the demand and supply of labour!