The launch of this year’s CIF Top 50 Contractors is a moment to celebrate the depth and durability of the construction industry in Ireland.
Through collective engagement across the sector and its associated partners we can truly harness that strength and vitality.
With a population now standing at 5.2million as a whole, the need for housing and infrastructure to be built across Ireland could not be greater to safeguard the competitiveness and wellbeing of its people.
It is heartening to see so many companies based regionally feature among this year’s contractor lists.
Regional development is a major policy issue in Ireland and one that the CIF has and will continue to support.
Building strong communities and creating places for people to work and live is vital. The construction industry and the federation stands ready to meet the needs of the people in the regions and will continue to do so in the future.
Our principle ask to government is to allocate additional funding to ease bottlenecks across planning and delivery bodies and to address regional infrastructural deficits, so that we can accelerate the delivery of critical public needs.
Our workers are the backbone of our industry and building a workforce that can support these initiatives now and into the future is key.
It is positive and welcome to see government initiatives such as the new Careers in Construction Action Plan, being implemented to encourage more workers into the sector.
However, we must continue to support construction companies as they develop new talent, in trades, in supervision and in management.
Our Quarter Two Construction Outlook survey, released in April, found that a fifth of respondents reported an increase in the total number of people they employ, with 23 per cent expecting this trend to persist in the months ahead.
The industry is also working closely with government on its careers action plan to seek new entrants which includes a strategy to entice our Irish construction workers abroad to come home.
The Construction Industry Federation and our members, many of who feature in the Top 50 2024, have a vision to create a more inclusive, competitive and progressive industry, with safety and quality as a priority.
Women have an excellent contribution to make to construction, and we hear examples, time and time again, of the outstanding efficiencies women bring to projects.
With the sector digitising and innovating like never before, there are countless new career routes. We must make them known. Our businesses depend on it.
I am immensely proud to be extensively involved with the federation and I wholeheartedly encourage all of our member companies to engage with our initiatives and associations throughout the year and into this coming decade of delivery.
