Workloads in the north’s construction sector remained broadly flat through the second quarter of the year, a new industry survey suggests.
However the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction Monitor indicates some movement in the public housing subsector.
Both public housing and private industrial workloads were reported to have increased, with net balances of 21% and 9% respectively.
Net balances of -6% and -8% of survey respondents reported that workloads in infrastructure and private commercial had fallen respectively, while activity in private housing and other public works fell flat.
The survey continued to reflect shortages in labour across all construction professions, however at a less severe rate than seen previously.
A net balance of 55% of surveyors report a shortage in quantity surveyors and a net balance of 52% of Northern Ireland respondents reported a shortage in bricklayers.
While a net balance of 14% of respondents anticipate workloads will rise over the next year, that was down from 28% in the first quarter.
RICS NI regional board member Carolyn Brady said the second quarter improvements in public sector could be linked to the restoration of the executive at Stormont.
“Whilst surveyors across Northern Ireland continue to report on shortages in skilled workers, it’s less so than seen previously, which is easing some of the pressures faced by the industry,” she said.
“As an industry, we’re continuing to work to overcome the skills shortages and attract the next generation of employees to the sector by working with schools and colleges and engaging with students who are considering surveying as a career.
“Anecdotally, we are seeing more interest and appetite for apprenticeship schemes with an increase in employers providing professional qualifications and development programmes.
“By supporting initiatives to grow our workforce, we can work towards increasing workloads in Northern Ireland which in turn will benefit the economy.”
