New figures have revealed 2017 was a solid year for job increases across Ireland's construction and engineering sectors.

Enterprise Ireland, the Government agency responsible for developing Irish business globally, has reported an 8% rise in the number of construction jobs created last year compared with 2016, while the engineering sector also experienced an 8% increase in job growth.

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Overall, a total of 19,332 new jobs were created by Enterprise Ireland backed companies in 2017, with 209,338 people are now employed in companies supported by the agency. This is the highest total employment achieved in the history of the agency.

Enterprise Ireland Chief Executive Julie Sinnamon said: "Despite the challenge and uncertainty created by Brexit, Irish companies have continued to grow their global exports, supporting strong job creation across all of the regions of Ireland."

(LM)