However, Mr Joyce said had the Government not halted building for a period last year, completions could have hit 25,000. “We are still way below what’s needed,” he said.
Mr Joyce said there was a “dangerous misconception around” that construction had somehow contributed to Covid’s spread, when in fact there was no real evidence to support this. Assuming building restarts in April, the company estimates output will be in the region of €21.6 billion, €3.1 billion less than in 2020 and €5 billion below the previous year.
About 148,000 people worked in the industry in the first three months of last year. Private residential construction accounts for a significant share of the 60 per cent of building industry now shut under Level 5 restrictions.. This fell to 129,000 in the second quarter, which was marked by the initial pandemic lockdown.