Further evidence of the buoyancy of the economy was disclosed yesterday with the publication of Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures showing employment in private construction firms has increased by 7.7 per cent in the 12 months to March 1999.

With the average level for employment in 1990 used as a base of 100, employment in the construction sector, in private firms employing over five persons, has increased by more than one third, to 133.7, according to the latest statistics.