The Government has been urged to introduce measures to aid the ailing construction industry to save thousands of jobs.

The call was made by the President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS) Ken Cribbin at the organisation's annual conference in Dublin: "The UK and US governments have brought forward innovative stimulus packages aimed at improving their infrastructure and maintaining employment.

"But here the government seems to be curtailing key infrastructural programmes instead of expanding such them."

During the boom times, the construction industry accounted for about 18% of total employment in Ireland, with more than 380,000 people involved in the industry. The SCS said this figure is expected to be halved by the end of the year.

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The organisation's figures indicate that unemployment among professionals is also up, with the number of surveyors without work having risen 12.5% so far this year.

Mr Cribbin said a number of major infrastructure projects are due to finish in the first half of 2010, but there are few in the pipeline.

"If we do not get this stimulus package an additional 100,000 jobs in the construction sector are threatened. This will add to the increasing burden of the social welfare bill on the State and lead to a deepening of the recession in construction."

The Construction Industry Federation has also backed the SCS's call, describing the potential stimulus package as an important measure.

"CIF welcomes the proposal from the SCS for a specific construction stimulus package as an important step towards helping to stabilise the economy, while ensuring the provision of vital public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and other public buildings," said a spokeman.

(BMcC/GK)