Irish Construction News Ulster Bank PMI Report May 2015

According to the Ulster Bank Construction PMI report for May 2015, the rate of activity growth in the Irish construction sector increased, returning to the pace of the final quarter of 2014.

This was supported by strong growth of new orders with firms increasing their employment and purchasing activity.

Commenting on the survey, Simon Barry, Chief Economist Republic of Ireland at Ulster Bank said that “The latest Ulster Bank Construction PMI report reveals a further improvement in business activity in May. Following a noticeable pick-up in April, activity rose sharply once again last month with the headline PMI index accelerating from 57.2 to 63.3 – its highest level since November of last year. This extends the construction sector’s run of continuous expansion to 21 months”

The increase in activity was matched by a sharp expansion in new business at construction firms in May. New orders rose for the twenty-third month in a row, with the latest increase the fastest in 2015 so far.

Higher workloads led companies to increase both their staffing levels and purchasing activity during May. Employment increased at a considerable pace over the month, with the rate of job creation at a four-month high.

Suppliers’ delivery times lengthened in May amid reports of a lack of stocks at vendors. Meanwhile, the rate of input cost inflation quickened from the previous month. A number of respondents indicated that the recent weakness of the euro had led the cost of imported items to increase.

New Building Regulations Info graph

In March 2014, new building regulations came into force. If you are thinking about getting an extension or even a new build and doing the work yourself or employing a contractor, we have put together a handy info graph with the main points. For a full explanation check out this great article from the Irish Examiner

CIF & Pieta House launch ‘Mind Our Workers’ campaign aimed at reducing suicide in construction

A new campaign has been launched in June 2015 aimed at raising awareness of suicide and mental health throughout the construction industry. An estimated 1,039 men from a construction or production background died by suicide between 2008 and 2012.

‘Mind Our Workers’ is a joint campaign organised by Pieta House and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). The campaign aims to encourage more communication about suicide and mental health on construction sites and amongst construction workers around the country.

A report which examines the level of suicide in the construction sector has been published as part of the campaign. Among the other key statistics highlighted in the report are:

• Every week in Ireland 10 people die by suicide;
• 8 out of those 10 are men;
• 6,520 suicides took place in Ireland between 2000 and 2012;
• 5,263 of those suicides were by men (81%);
• 2,137 male suicides took place in Ireland between 2008 and 2012; and
• Of the 116,700 people working in the construction sector, 108,300 are men (93% of the overall total).

The Mind Our Workers campaign will run throughout 2015. The tagline for the campaign is ‘On our sites, in our minds’.