Commenting on the Construction Output Statistics, Neal Taylor, Audit Partner at leading business advisory firm Grant Thornton Northern Ireland, said:
“The latest Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin shows a welcome return to growth with overall output increasing by 4.1% over the second quarter of the year.
“All areas of work increased, resulting in the highest recorded volumes in any quarter during the past five years, which tallies with what our clients in the construction sector are telling us.
“An 8% rise in new work reported over the period was particularly pleasing and followed a steep decline in the first three months of the year, although the general trend continues to be one of increasing output.
“Housing output was 11.8% higher than the same quarter in 2016, but the volumes remain subdued compared to those seen five years ago when it represented the greatest proportion of work carried out in the construction sector.
“Overall infrastructure output, meanwhile, was carried largely by a major rise in new private work which reached almost £100m in volume over the period, more than double any other infrastructure sub-component.”