Turnover by building firms in 2006 rose by 21 per cent to €21.3 billion, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office today.
According to the CSO's census of building and construction there were 1,291 building firms employing 20 or more staff employing 97,484 people. This was a 9 per cent rise on the 1,184 firms employing 89,117 people in 2005.
In what was arguably the height of the construction boom, construction firms spent over €6 billion on goods and services compared with €5.2 billion the previous year.
In 2006 the average wage per building sector employee was €42,929. The overall wage bill for the sector was €5.04 billion, almost €500 million higher than the previous year.
The CSO said its 2006 census had identified a significant increase in the number of firms with 20 or more firms leading to a discontinuity between results for that year and previous years.
To reflect this as far as possible the CSO gives estimated results for 2005.
