Photograph: Getty ImagesHome-building activity in Ireland fell for the eighth straight month in December as all three sectors of the construction industry recorded a decline in activity. John Fahey, senior economist at AIB, said that while activity in the home-building sector had declined for the eighth month in a row, the pace of that “contraction was the mildest since May”. Any figure greater than 50 indicates expansion of activity in the sector; a figure less than the break-even mark represents a contraction of activity. Commercial activity contracted for a second successive month, the survey indicated, while activity in the civil engineering sector remains the weakest of the three. While other industries in the economy have seen input price inflation ease in recent months, the construction sector has continued to see inputs rise in cost.

Source: The Irish Times January 13, 2026 07:31 UTC