Constructionjobs.ie Top 10 November Construction Jobs

The Constructionjobs.ie November Top 10 Construction Jobs Table sees Construction Manager leap to the top spot from fifth place as a result of the number of applications made in the month.
While Construction Project Manager and Construction Civil Engineer hold the the same positions as the previous chart, applications bubbling under just outside the Top 10 include Construction Planners, Construction Engineers, Construction CAD, and Design Architects and Electrical Engineers.

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Constructionjobs.ie Top 10 Jobs for November

1. Construction Manager
2. Construction Project Manager
3. Construction Civil Engineer
4. Construction Quantity Surveyor/QS
5. Construction Health & Safety Manager
6. Construction Site Engineer
7. Construction Electrical Engineer
8. Construction Foreperson
9. Construction Contracts Manager
10. Construction Site Manager

Click here to find the top construction professional jobs.

Exporting the Tiger – Irish construction seeks global opportunities

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 build
Presenting 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 East
Speaking 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 UK
A 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.

Find the latest construction jobs and the world's latest construction job hotspots

Boomtime for Canada's civils sector

With the smell of recession in the air the Canadian government has moved to stave off a downturn by committing more funding to capital and municipal construction projects.
At a meeting in Ottawa at the beginning of November, the federal Canadian government and provinces said it would accelerate infrastructure spending to remedy the country's ailing economy. At the First Ministers' meeting, Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed to push for quicker action on the construction front as a means of stimulating job creation. And with an array of major construction schemes already through the planning stages, the prospects for construction jobs in Canada, particularly jobs in Canada’s civils industry look relatively bright.

A recent study released by the Canadian municipalities claims that $1bn dollars spent infrastructure, "would produce more jobs and a greater economic stimulus than a combined $2-billion tax reduction." The fact that country's bridges, roads, sewage and water pipes are in bad shape and need the investment also means the government’s commitment is very timely.

Hundreds of municipal infrastructure projects are already set to go in to construction phase and they can be financed by a fund of $3bn in the federal Building Canada Fund.

Key projects that will drive the infrastructure boom include plans to further develop transit networks in several Canadian cities. These are all ready to go to site, once funding is approved. Ottawa’s city council has also just approved $1.7 billion transit plans that include a 12-kilometre light rail line east-west across the city, with a tunnel under a section of downtown.

Unlike other countries that have cut back on their capital spending, the Canadian government’s decision to spend, spend and spend should be a welcome boost for those considering emigrating and seeking construction jobs in Canada.

Find the Latest and Top Construction Jobs in Canada

Canada’s Top 10 construction, oil and gas trade jobs

Although Canada’s economy has fared reasonably well during 2008 when compared to many other economies, the country expects to suffer somewhat during 2009. Because of its close ties with the US economy, it is practically unavoidable. On only one occasion it did not follow the US in to recession.

However, the outlook for Canada's construction, oil and gas jobs is relatively positive as the country has been suffering a shortage of skilled cionstruction, oil and gas tradesmen for a number of years now. With vast natural resources, many construction projects and an aging workforce, Canadian construction firms are looking to Europe to hire skilled foreign tradesmen.

Skilled tradespeople are in demand in many sectors in all 10 provinces and three territories of Canada. And, if you have the required amount of work experience in order to be certified and to work, maybe Canada has the right job and lifestyle for you.

In terms of wages, Canada has some of the highest paying construction jobs in the world. And when it comes to visas, Canada has significantly less stringent criteria and processes than is the case in the US. Its immigration laws allow foreign workers to bring their family to Canada, and apply for Permanent Residency status.

The Top 10 Construction trades that are regularly sought are outlined below. And while demand changes from month to month for the trade, the actual trades being sought rarely do

Canada’s Top 10 most in demand construction, oil and gas trades

1. Bricklayers
2. Carpenters
3. Tower crane operators
4. Electricians
5. Welders
6. Gasfitters
7. Gas utility operator
8. Iron and Sheet Metal Workers
9. Plumbers
10. Oil and gas rig technicians

Find the latest construction, oil and gas jobs in Canada

Irish Budget 2008 – Let’s try National Development Plan B

It was very much a case of National Development Plan B, when Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenehan TD unveiled his economy jump-start budget, which may result in some construction job activity in the education, housing renovation and infrastructure sectors.

The Irish Construction Industry Federation was quick to welcome the budget because Minister Lenehan did not go as far as expected in making cuts in the National Development Plan. But concern remains about how quickly the Government can get future infrastructure developments on site.

Transport 21
A quick look at the revised Transport 21 Plan shows that because many projects were at such an advanced stage of planning they could not be cut back. So, plans for Luas extensions and the Metro projects will proceed, despite misgivings from some quarters. Likewise the interurban route remains on track for completion by 2010. After that, smaller, but not necessarily small roads projects, will feel the pinch. With a capital budget of €900m Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has listed six road projects that have been deferred for at least a year. These include the Arklow to Rathnew road in Co Wicklow (back to 2010) and the Atlantic Corridor with the rescheduling of the N18 Oranmore to Gort section a cause for concern regarding access between Galway and Shannon Airport. If these projects are delayed for too long, the big worry here is that the Government will return to a stop/start piecemeal roads programme associated with the 80s. And with fixed price contracts now in place and an Irish civils industry geared up to deliver, it would make sense for the Government to get some mechanism in place to deliver the necessary roads network and complete these smaller but vital regional urban links.

Education
In the weeks leading up to the budget, Minister for Education Batt O’Keefe granted approval for 25 new school building projects to proceed to the tender and construction phases: a clever political move? Minister O’Keefe has been one government minister who has been lauded for his openness in presenting the effects of the budget on his Department’s spending plans. And while he faces great criticism on class sizes and student grants cuts, the fall in the price of land and the deficit of school buildings in the country means that much will be expected from his department in the next 18 months. Minister O’Keefe has a capital allocation for next year of €889 million – an increase of €79 million, or almost 10%, on 2008 spending.

Commercial development
The reduction of stamp duty on commercial property from nine to six percent could be enough to renew activity in the commercial property market. According to a number of real estate agencies there is growing interest in European property from foreign speculators and the three-percentage point cut makes the Irish commercial market a very attractive option for anyone looking to expand their European property portfolio. However, whether this proves the case is dependent on more money being available on the market.

Housing
A revised housing loans scheme and increase in mortgage interest relief for first time buyers has also been welcomed by the construction industry. However this may take some time to work its way through the system. However the €15m allocation to the Home energy Saving Scheme, while well short of the originally planned allocation is good news for those in the housing renovation sector and should create job opportunities for those working with energy efficacy products such as BER assessors, insulation installers, window installers and in indeed renewable energy products.

Construction job opportunities
Those looking for construction jobs in school building and housing renovation should be particularly happy with the budget. While those looking for construction jobs in road and rail development may have to wait and see how quickly future projects can be rolled out.

constructionjobs.ie flys high on global market

Global construction recruitment activity jumps on Constructionjobs.ie in September

In September 2008, constructionjobs.ie passed another landmark when 52 per cent of all job applications through our site were for construction professional jobs outside of Ireland.

Construction professional job opportunities in the Middle East now accounts for 50 per cent of global activity on the website. Our latest applications figures show a meteoric rise in the number of applications for construction professional jobs in Gulf States such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

During September of an overall total of 10,893 job applications, 5,686 applications (52%) were for jobs outside of Ireland, while 5,207 (48%) were for construction jobs in Ireland.

Of the 5,686 overseas applications, 2,843 (50%) job applications were for construction professional jobs in the Middle East region. This is a meteoric figure, when you consider that only 54 applications were made for Middle East construction professional jobs in February last.

A further breakdown of the overall figure also indicates a high number of applicants seeking construction professional job opportunities in the UK and construction professional job opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. The UK accounted for 25 per cent of overseas construction job applications, while the region of Australia and New Zealand has 15% of overseas construction job applications.

While applications for construction professional jobs in Ireland totalled 5,207 (48%) in September, the 52 per cent level of activity in the global construction professional recruitment arena means that we have developed with jobseekers and recruiters to meet the changing needs of the global construction professional recruitment market.

Overall, there were 34,500 unique visitors to constructionjobs.ie in September. Of which Ireland accounted for 70%,
Rest of the World 19% and
The UK 10%.

Who's recruiting
On the recruiter front the main performers on the site have been Irish recruitment agencies diversifying to deliver construction job opportunities in the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, as well as construction professional jobs in Canada and USA. However a growing number of international recruiting clients are also choosing constructionjobs.ie to attract an Irish construction professionals for positions in their regions of operation.


Top 10 September Construction Jobs

Our September Top 10 Construction Professional Jobs Table indicates a mass of movement of Construction Health & Safety Professionals and Construction Project Managers to meet the the growing number of jobs in these areas.

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Constructionjobs.ie Top 10 Jobs for September

1. Construction : Health & Safety
2. Construction : Project Management
3. Construction : Civil Engineering
4. Construction : Quantity Surveying / QS
5. Construction : Construction Management
6. Construction : Site Engineering
7. Construction : Foreperson
8. Construction : Electrical Engineering
9. Construction : Contracts Management
10. Construction : Site Management

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Oman – Tourism and infrastructure development offer construction jobs for years to come

The Sultanate of Oman, one of the six GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, is looking to tourism to sustain its economy in to the future.

In recent years, a change in law regarding foreign freehold ownership has resulted in foreigners being allowed to own property in designated integrated tourism areas. Land prices in Oman are estimated to be roughly 50 per cent of those in Dubai, and 65 per cent of those in Bahrain.
In terms of real estate the recent trend has been towards ownership of apartments. In the commercial property sector the recent increased movement of foreign firms in to Oman has resulted in a major shortages in commercial properties. However, the retail success of neighbouring Dubai has meant that the Omani retail sector is developing less quickly.

Construction projects
Oman has its fair share of ambitious development schemes, and much is hinged on a Development Plan that will see many of these schemes completed before 2020.
Of the large-scale developments currently under construction, the €20bn Blue City has to be the most exciting. But The Wave, Shalam Yiti and Oman’s first rail line have also been grabbing the headlines in recent years.

• Blue City was launched in 2005 and is being built on over 35sq km of some of Oman’s most breathtaking beaches, about 100kms north of the capital city, Muscat. The first phase of the 15-year project, AL-Madina Al-Zarqa ($1.8bn) is due for completion in 2009. When completed in 2020, Blue City is expected to accommodate 200,000 people.
• The Wave is a $1bn tourism Joint Venture involving the Omani Government, Majid Al Futtaim Investments (MAFI) and the Omani Pensions Fund. It is due for completion in 2012.
• Salam Yiti is a $1.7bn mountainside resort project located between the Al Hajar Ash Sharqi Mountains and the Gulf of Oman. The development is also only a 15-minute drive from Muscat. Spread across 420-hectares and rising to a height of 140m above sea level, and it will include golf courses and marinas. Salam Yiti is being developed by Sama Dubai and is scheduled for completion by 2013.
• Oman is quite unique in the world in that it has no railway network. In early 2008, the Omani Government unveiled plans for the country’s first rail line. The line will initially be used to transport goods, with passengers on board at a later stage. While it is still very much at planning stage, the line is planned connect the Sohar Port with Birka on the outskirts of Muscat, covering a distance of 200km. It will then be extended to Duqm, where there are plans to develop a new seaport and airport at a later stage.

Find the latest Construction Professional jobs in the Middle East and Oman