Construction output falls 33.8%

Building and construction output fell 33.8 per cent in fourth quarter of last year compared with the same period in 2008, new data from the Central Statistics Office showed today.

Residential building work took the brunt of the decline, showing a 50 per cent fall in volume, while commercial volume dropped by 38 per cent.

Meanwhile, the value of production fell by 35.8 per cent over the quarter.

This compares with a 6.3 per cent drop in output in the EU 27 countries. Increases recorded in Poland (4.2 per cent), Luxembourg (3.7 per cent) and the Czech Republic (2.3 per cent) were offset by a 52.3 per cent drop in Lithuania, a 38.5 per cent decline in Latvia and and the decline in Ireland.