71,000 construction jobs lost over past year

Total job losses in the industry over the past year have risen to more than 71,000, it has emerged, as a fresh wave of redundancies hit the sector this week.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics covering the period between October 2007 and the end of September also show that the pace of redundancy has risen sharply since the summer. Some 31,000 jobs were lost between July and September, compared with 13,000 in the second quarter.

The figures were disclosed as it emerged that Laing O’Rourke has become the latest major contractor to axe staff. The company has begun redundancy consultations with 15 of the 100 staff in its Irish office, and it is understood that others are being redeployed following the decline of work in Ireland.

It is understood that more employees are leaving the UK business as projects come to an end, although a spokesperson for the company denied that it was in consultation over redundancies elsewhere in the firm.

The move comes as Taylor Wimpey confirmed that it had laid off a further 1,000 staff after carrying out a strategic review, bringing total losses to 1,900. Regional contractor Durkan confirmed this week that it was making about seven of its 250 staff redundant.

There were also more cuts in the consultancy sector. Gardiner & Theobald last week completed consultations that would allow it to make between 20 and 99 staff redundant. It is understood the number of cuts will be close to the upper figure, although the firm declined to comment. A source close to the company said further cuts were likely.

In engineering, White Young Green is understood to be closing an office in Ireland and cutting around 30 jobs in its contaminated land business. The firm declined to comment. And WSP said the positions of 30 of the 560 people in its London office were “at risk” after a drop in private-sector work in the UK.

Mark Whitby, the chairman of Ramboll Whitbybird, said his firm was looking to make cuts, as well as moving people into its oil, gas and renewables divisions.

He said: “The rate and severity of this recession means we are not going to be able to avoid redundancies. There are cutbacks in the Middle East and it’s not so easy to redeploy people on projects there. There are very few areas of buoyancy.”