Employment in private firms in the construction industry rose by 7.9 per cent in the year to October 31st, the Central Statistics Office said yesterday. As measured by the monthly employment index, the number of workers employed in the sector in the year to September 30th increased by 8.4 per cent.

The index, which measured 100 in its base year in 1990, reached 131.3 last October, up from 121.7 a year previously. The index is derived from a sample inquiry of 1,000 private building firms.