Careers Construction Industry

Construction Industry Overview

The construction industry is a significant business and employment sector in Ireland, with revenues of €29 billion forecast for the year 2022 (EY Economic Advisory Report). Companies within the industry employ over 167,000 workers (CSO Statistics Q2, 2022), and this comprises a broad range of jobs from on-site building to consultancy and architectural design work. Construction is a key industry in Fingal with 6 of the country’s top 50 contractors by turnover located in the county along with significant project activity by other companies on key projects, whether in residential, infrastructural or industrial building. The sector has seen difficulties in the last few years with work restricted due to Covid 19, and due to international supply chain challenges and rising material costs. However, construction will continue to be a key industry locally in Fingal as projects facilitate the growth of the county in terms of facilitating housing, industrial and infrastructure projects.

 

Some Key Features of the Construction Sector:

 

Impact of Modern Technology

The construction industry has seen major developments in recent years in how design and projects are approached, and this has implications for skills requirements going forward. For example, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now widespread as the tool for producing models and drawings of projects to be completed, with BIM professionals gaining much expertise from large pharma and electronics industry projects which have been undertaken in recent years. Increased use of digital technologies as well as high tech offsite manufacturing will also impact the industry going into the future.

 

Role in Climate Action

The construction sector has an enormous part to play in assisting in the agenda for climate action and increased sustainability.  There are many examples of where construction professionals are contributing to a future lower carbon footprint, and here are just a few:

• The construction of sustainable transport infrastructure, whether rail projects or active travel facilities such as greenways.
• The retrofitting of buildings for better insulation and lower energy use.
• The design of heating and cooling systems for best lower carbon footprint – eg passive ventilation features.

 

Government–led Initiatives

The Irish government’s 2022 budget, which was announced in October 2021, included €11.1 billion on capital expenditure. This capital expenditure results in increased project and work opportunities on the design and building of housing, education and healthcare projects. For example, the government also announced €2.5 billion ($3 billion) for the construction of 9,000 new social housing units and €174 million for the construction of 4,000 affordable homes, including low-cost rental and purchase.

 

Part of Ireland’s Export Trade

According to the Annual Business Survey of Economic Impact, exports by construction client companies stood at approximately €2.7 billion in 2020, an increase of 40 percent from 2018, despite Covid-19. Ireland’s construction companies, particularly in the mechanical and electrical sector, have developed a strong reputation around Europe and internationally for the building of major industrial projects – for example pharmaceutical plants and data centres on the European continent.

 

Apprenticeship Opportunities

In 2021, a record number of 4,870 construction apprenticeships were recorded. Apprenticeships in bricklaying, painting, and plastering increased at the time, and future increases are forecast by SOLAS (Build 2022 Report). This route to a career in construction continues to be a vital part of education and training in Ireland, and it can lead on to not just opportunities in trades but for more senior roles such as project manager and contracts manager later in a career.

 

Types of Companies

The following are the types of construction company typically active in Fingal and around the country:

 

Main Building Contractors

Main contractors have ultimate responsibility for the delivery of building projects on site. They bid for and win approval to organise the works; they generally engage subcontractors to carry out works while retaining overall site management for the project.

 

Civil Engineering Contractors

Civil engineering contractors have responsibility for the delivery of infrastructural projects on site – eg road, bridge, wastewater, rail and so on. They manage the overall works while often also engaging some further specialist contractors to carry out aspects of the project.

 

Building Services (Mechanical and Electrical) Subcontractors

Building Services Contractors are also known as Mechanical and Electrical or M&E contractors, and are engaged to carry out mechanical or electrical (or occasionally both) installations for the building project.

 

Specialist Subcontractors

There are other types of subcontractors who provide vital services for the success of a building project; they include precast, reinforced concrete, dry-lining, flooring, roofing and so on.

 

Architectural Firms

Architectural firms are responsible for completing the conceptual overall design for a building project and for managing the application for planning permission. They may also be engaged by a client to oversee construction works by a main contractor. Some architectural firms specialise in particular areas such as interiors or landscaping.

 

Engineering Consultancies

Engineering consultancies complete engineering design for discrete elements of projects such as structural design, civil design, mechanical and electrical. Some consultancies are “multi-disciplinary” and employ different sections of specialist engineers to carry out design, while other firms specialise in one area – eg a building services (M&E) design consultancy.

 

Professional Quantity Surveying Firms (PQS)

A quantity surveyor is responsible for most of the financial aspects of a construction project. A PQS firm is engaged by a client to provide cost forecasts and estimates for a project and then to measure works for payments as the project progresses. They sometimes manage overall projects on behalf of a client.

 

Trending Jobs and Roles in Demand within Construction

There is such a wide variety of jobs within construction from carpentry to digital design of projects that it is difficult to compile an exhaustive list. Below are described some of the more topical and “in-demand” jobs of recent years and expected to be prominent in the longer term, followed by a list of other typical roles.

 

BIM Technician

BIM (Building Information Modelling) Technicians build and manage 3D and walk-through models of designs for building projects. BIM involves using software such as Revit and Navisworks to construct the model and produce drawings. A BIM technician usually specialises in one discipline – such as mechanical or structural – but they may become experts is all of the areas with experience.

 

BCAR Specialist

Construction of buildings in Ireland is subject to the Building Control Amendment Regulations Act, and many companies employ an administrator / coordinator to manage all required documentation and ensure they are in compliance with requirements.

 

Building Services (M&E) Project Engineer

A building services project engineer normally works for an M&E contractor and works towards the completion of project installations as per budget, quality standards and on schedule. The project engineer checks that the project is being done as specified and liaises with electrical and plumbing trades to make sure they have all information needed to carry out the installation.

 

Civil Design Engineer

Civil design engineers generally work for engineering consultancies and are responsible for design of civil engineering elements of a project using calculations, knowledge of materials and other analysis of design requirements. A civil design engineer is usually involved in designing for roads, drainage, wastewater and other infrastructure projects.

 

Estimator

Estimators play an important role in the bid process for building projects. It is their responsibility to complete an estimate price for a project by analysing bills of quantities and sourcing prices from suppliers and subcontractors.

 

Project Manager

Project managers are responsible for the delivery of construction projects. Their role is to ensure that work is completed on time and within budget. A project manager will pay particular notice to logistics, schedules and project spending. Therefore, they will liaise frequently with project planners and quantity surveyors.

 

Project Planner

A project planner, also known as scheduler, compiles the project plan including activities, milestones and outcomes. This type of planner often uses planning software such as Primavera and typically works on larger projects, particularly in the industrial sector.

 

Quantity Surveyor

A quantity surveyor works on financial management of projects, including bills of quantities for materials and work prior to a project, monitoring of costs, dealing with subcontractors and completing final accounts. Professional quantity surveyors are employed by the client for cost management, while main contractors also employ their own quantity surveyors to deal with financial management from the contractor side.

 

Site Engineer

Site Engineers manage elements of project delivery on a construction site; for example, they may have responsibility for overseeing the work of one or two of the site subcontractors. They typically have a role in checking quality of materials and also in “setting out” – i.e using GPS or total stations to set out points for construction works as per drawings.

 

Site Manager

Site managers are responsible for the delivery of construction projects on site, ensuring the works are completed to the expected quality standard and on schedule. Site Managers generally come from either a trades or site engineering background and become familiar with site activities before assuming their role. They liaise with subcontractors as well as managing their own site team.

 

Other occupations:

Architect, Architectural Technician, BIM Technician, BCAR Specialist, Bricklayer, Building Services Design Engineer, Building Services Project Engineer, Carpenter, CAD Technician, Civil Design Engineer, Crane Operator, Estimator, Finishing Foreperson, Foreperson, Groundworker, Health and Safety Officer, Health and Safety Manager, Roofer, Plasterer, Project Manager, Project Planner / Scheduler, Quantity Surveyor, Skilled Labourer, Site Administrator, Site Engineer, Site Manager, Structural Design Engineer

 

Industry Skills and Qualifications

 

Advantages of Working in the Sector

 

Variety of Occupations to suit different skills

The variety of occupations in construction attract those with excellent manual workmanship skills (eg carpentry), creative design skills (eg architecture), and negotiation/financial acumen (eg quantity surveyors). Many jobs also require a varied skill set including technical, communication and organisational skills (eg project manager and site engineer).

 

Career Prospects in a country with growing population and robust economy

Construction has been a major part of the Irish economy for decades and although employment prospects dropped in years after the financial crisis of the late 2000s, it is reasonable to expect it to be a stable and generally growing sector given the increasing need for housing, education and transport facilities in a country with a growing population.

 

International Opportunities

Irish construction professionals whether from trades or higher education background have been able to access career opportunities across the world working on major international projects. Destinations have included Australia, Canada and the Middle East among others.

 

Playing a role in Climate Action

Construction professionals, whether working on design or building or projects, have the opportunity to significantly contribute to projects to further climate action. They can play a role in the design or construction of projects in terms of sustainable approaches to materials and so on. There is also the opportunity to work on specific renewable energy projects such as in solar and wind energy.

 

Make a difference:

The construction industry is an industry that provides solutions to society’s needs, housing, critical infrastructure, hospitals, transportation, water and waste management as well as providing the mechanisms for high tech industry to operate – workers in the sector provide this much needed service to their community.

 

Experiencing New Technology in a Developing Sector

While there are plenty of opportunities in traditional construction trades roles such as carpentry, new positions have emerged in recent years such as BIM technician and Project Planners making use of additional software and design packages becoming more common in the industry. New approaches using digital technology has also enhanced roles such as site manager as IT literacy is required to track site works and project plans.

 

Legal Protection for Pay and Conditions

Construction site workers are one of the employment groups subject to Sectoral Employment Order, which came into effect in 2016 making it compulsory for labourers and skilled site trades to have minimum rates of pay along with pension and sick leave entitlements. This has been updated with further sectoral employment orders, most recently on 1 February 2022.