Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe claims almost 5,000 construction jobs will be created this year in building projects in the education sector. Of the €614m earmarked for schools, €352m will be spent directly on new school buildings and refurbishments, with €162m to be spent directly on new on-campus buildings. The minister said industry analysts conservatively estimated that 9.3 was the average number of direct jobs created annually by €1m of investment. “The €352 million we spend on school building projects this year will sustain 3,265 direct construction jobs based on this labour market intensity principle. “In higher education, 1,500 jobs will be created through the €162 million capital spend, bringing the total number of jobs two between the two sectors to 4,765.” Separately, Minister O’Keeffe said his recent announcement of €40 million for country’s seven universities and 13 institutes of technology to carry out small-scale building works and to upgrade high-tech equipment will generate further activity in the jobs market. "Prices for construction jobs are now coming in 10-15% lower than last year. "So, as well as getting better value for money and building our capacity in physical educational infrastructure, we’re creating thousands of much-needed jobs in the construction sector as part of the Government's plan to restore economic growth to our nation,’ the Minister added. |
