At the centre of the Irish Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Annual Conference 2008, which took place at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Dublin, was opportunities that lie ahead for the Irish construction industry in the coming years. At a time when cashflow management is the focus for many Irish construction firms, the CIF has continued its drive to find opportunities abroad for Irish companies. And those that attended were in no doubt at the end of the conference as to where many of those opportunities will lie in the years ahead. constructionjobs.ie was also in attendance and highlights what the experts see as key opportunities on the global construction stage for Irish construction firms and construction professionals.
Eastern Europe set to buildPresenting on opportunities in Europe, Annette Hughes of DKM Economic Consultants said that a number countries in Central and Eastern Europe will be in a stronger position in terms of construction and construction recruitment activity than those in Western Europe in the next two years. She pointed particularly to infrastructural works in Slovakia, Romania, Macedonia Bulgaria, Poland and Czech Republic. Of the Eastern and Central European countries prospects for expenditure are particularly high in Poland. The hosting of the 2012 European Championships has driven Poland into a major infrastructural development programme, helped in no small way with European Structural Funds that all the new Member States scan avail of. Infrastructure expected to be the only sector growing across Euroconstruct Area, especially in Poland and Slovakia.
Elsewhere, Russia, Turkey and Romania seem well placed to cope with current crisis and housing and infrastructure developments are expected to continue.
A €57bn investment in infrastructure is expected in Russia over next two years. This will be spent on roads, energy, railways plus preparation for Winter Olympics in 2014.
There will also be greater focus on the energy efficiency of buildings, with extensive investment expected in Germany’s power stations. And with the predicted end of the current downturn expected in 2010, when markets start to grow again climate change challenges will expand the role for renewable energy projects across Europe.
Latest Construction Job opportunities in Mainland Europe
Looking EastSpeaking about construction opportunities in China Ray Doyle of CHIRL sourcing solutions said that Irish companies looking to Asia will have to be prepared to put in the time to develop opportunities .
He highlighted a number of planned projects. The Shanghai to Beijing train line is set to start in 2010 and when completed in 2014 at a cost of €25bn will have a total length of 1318km. Work will also start on the €4bn Shanghai - Hangzou Maglev train line in 2010, with a resulting 169km of new train line within Shanghai when completed in 2014. China is also planning to develop 30Gw of wind farms by 2020.
Latest Construction Job Opportunities in Asia
Construction opportunities in the UKA presentation by Kevin Kavanagh of Enterprise Ireland highlighted opportunities for Irish companies in the UK over the coming years.
Key areas that offer potential for Irish firms include
London Olympics – £10bn
Building Schools for the Future – £12bn over five years
Crossrail – £16bn
Regeneration of the West End – £5bn
Commonwealth Games 2014 in Scotland – A £288m Roads Programme
Latest Construction Job Opportunities in the United Kingdom
Other speakers looked at
Construction Opportunities in Ireland (Transport 21 and power infrastructure rollout) and
construction opportunities in the Middle East, which we will update in the coming weeks. But, ultimately, it was a case of those who have the set up and capacity to export their expertise should be looking very seriously at realigning their companies to deliver on a global scale.
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