The Government has been urged to immediately introduce stimulus measures for the construction industry to save thousands of jobs.
The call was made by president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS) Ken Cribbin at the organisation's annual conference in Dublin today.
"The UK and US governments have brought forward innovative stimulus packages aimed at improving their infrastructure and maintaining employment. But here the government seems to be curtailing key infrastructural programmes instead of expanding such them," Mr Cribbin said.
At its peak, the construction industry accounted for about 18 per cent of total employment in Ireland, with more than 380,000 people involved in the industry. The SCS said this figure is expected to be halved by the end of the year.
The organisation's figures indicate unemployment among surveyors has risen 12.5 per cent so far this year.
Mr Cribbin said a number of major infrastructure projects are due to finish in the first half of 2010, but there are few in the pipeline.
"Due to the lack of new orders over the past year, construction output volumes are forecast to decline by 52.5 per cent which means volumes by the end of 2011 will be back to where they were at in the mid-1990s," he said.
"If we do not get this stimulus package an additional 100,000 jobs in the construction sector are threatened. This will add to the increasing burden of the social welfare bill on the State and lead to a deepening of the recession in construction."
Building prices have also slumped, the SCS said, with recently released tender price figures indicating that they are now at levels seen 10 years ago.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) baceked the SCS's call, describing the potential stimulus package as an important measure.
"The experience internationally from other economies, is that where a stimulus package for the construction sector has been put in place, it can have the effect of helping to counter the decline in the respective economies," said CIF spokesman Martin Whelan.
"CIF welcomes the proposal from the SCS for a specific construction stimulus package as an important step towards helping to stabilise the economy, while ensuring the provision of vital public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and other public buildings."
