Construction activity decline gathers pace

Irish construction faced its sharpest slowdown in 18 months in July, with overall activity falling for a third consecutive month. Housing and civil engineering both posted steep declines, while commercial building was the only sector to grow, and at its weakest rate in the current run. New orders slowed to their lowest level since February as clients delayed decisions, pushing business confidence to a near three-year low. Rising input costs, longer delivery times and reduced subcontractor use added to pressures, even as staffing levels rose slightly.

Read the full breakdown of the July PMI findings here.