On Wednesday 24th May, Cabinet approved an extension for the waiving of Local Authority “section 48” development contributions. The announcement came as Taoiseach Simon Harris, Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister Darragh O’Brien presented the latest quarterly update under Housing for All, with the Government leaders and the Minister emphasising that they remain steadfast in their commitment to growing the current positive momentum in the delivery of new homes. Building started on over 37,400 new homes in the year to the end of March 2024. Commencements in the first quarter of this year are up 63 ..read more

Turnover and employment continue to rise in construction: CIF Construction Outlook Q2 Survey. Survey finds that almost half of companies not undertaking public works projects due to low margins and bureaucracy Turnover and employment continue to rise in the construction sector according to the Construction Industry Federation Q2 Construction Outlook Survey, released today. 26% of companies acknowledged an increase in turnover year on year in Q1 with 34% expecting turnover to continue to increase in Q2. 20% of respondents reported an increase in the total number of people they employ, with 23 ..read more

Last Friday, 12th April, more than 200 guests attended the CIF West Gala Dinner at the Ardilaun Hotel, raising €2,500 for the Chairman’s chosen charities, RNLI Galway and the Galway Hospice! Well done to all who attended. We would like to extend a final thank you to our sponsors on the night: Roadstone Ltd. Cygnum Building Offsite Haran Scaffolding Ltd Construction Guarantee, Construction Bonds PwC Ireland Brooks Timber & Building Supplies Ltd BAM UK & Ireland Construction Professionals Skillnet – CPSkillnet We would also like to thank our drinks sponsor, Coshla Quarries.   Event ..read more

PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, 27th March, Dublin. A National Upskilling Roadmap for Sustainability in the Built Environment was launched in Dublin today. The roadmap was developed as part of the EU-Life co-funded Build Up Skills Ireland 2030 (BUSI2030) initiative. It is the culmination of an 18-month research project to identify skills gaps and shortages in sustainable construction, led by the Technological University of the Shannon in partnership with the Irish Green Building Council, the Construction Industry Federation and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. “To meet our climate targ ..read more

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) officially launches a free online ‘Introduction to Lean Construction MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)’ course delivered through ATU’s online learning platform. Developed with funding from the Higher Education Authorities (HEA) Human Capital Initiative and with support from Lean Construction Ireland (LCI) and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), this initiative aims to provide the construction industry with an introduction to lean construction principles at no cost. The ‘Introduction to Lean Construction MOOC’ provides learners with a basic unders ..read more

CSO Planning Permissions The CSO have today 14th March 2024, published their latest planning permissions for Q4 2023 and a review of the year. Key findings include: An annual increase of almost 21% in the total number of dwelling units approved in 2023, up from 34,177 units in 2022 to 41,225 units in 2023. In 2022 an annual decrease of 20.5% was recorded. In 2023, the number of apartments granted planning permission rose by almost 29% when compared with 2022, while house approvals were up by more than 13%. There was an annual rise of 40% in the number of multi-development houses receiving pla ..read more

As part of our International Women’s Day coverage, Sophie Hurst, Managing Director of our corporate partner Integrity Software, reflects on her 25 years in the industry.    How long have you been in the industry? I started in the industry in 1998 in a support role, the department was predominately male at the time, but even then I have always felt supported and never felt discriminated against because of my gender.   How long have you been at JDM / Integrity? I started my career at another JDM business in 1998 and was asked to move over to Integrity in 2015 when JDM acquired Int ..read more

PRESS RELEASE 07.03.24 “International Women’s Day is for all of us who are really privileged to do more to include more diverse women.” Dr Katriona O’Sullivan addresses over 400 women at annual Construction Industry Federation International Women’s Day Summit today.     “International Women’s Day is a day for all of us who are really privileged, privileged enough to be succeeding in ‘hard to reach’ places, to do more and to keep inspiring women to keep trying. We need to look around us and ask ‘what can we all do, to include more women and more diverse women to achieve great things ..read more

Turnover and employment continue to increase across the construction sector, according to the Construction Industry Federation’s Quarter 1 Outlook Survey. The cost of labour and raw materials continues to put upward pressure on pricing across all sub sectors, with 68% of survey respondents experiencing a year-on-year increase in the cost of labour and 60% experiencing a year-on-year increase in the cost of raw materials. The survey examined projected turnover by sector in 2024. The survey results show that outside of companies that operate in housebuilding, there is a considerable spread in th ..read more

Bookings and sponsorship are now open for CIF’s International Women’s Day Summit, which will take place on 7th March in Castleknock Hotel, Dublin from 08:30am to 13:00pm. We’re looking forward to bringing together another amazing group of women from across the construction industry to celebrate International Women’s Day, following the success of last year’s sold-out event. This is year’s theme is all about inspiring inclusion. We’ll be introducing keynote speakers to share their journeys and engaging in lively discussions on: • Challenges in our Industry • Digital Transformation • Attracting a ..read more