Northern Ireland builders - forced to find work abroad, amid a domestic construction sector slump – might never return to the province, an industry group has said.

As ailing construction firms continue to reduce staffing levels, many local builders have accepted employment opportunities in countries such as Canada, Dubai and Poland, the Construction Industry Group NI (CIGNI) has claimed.

A Stormont committee heard how many others have moved to Scotland and England.

Addressing MLAs, CIGNI's Executive Secretary Ciaran Fox suggested 10,000 Northern Ireland builders could be lining the dole queue by next year.

Mr Fox said the severity of the building trade slowdown could not be solely reflected in benefit claimant figures, hinting than many more have opted for less skilled jobs, rather than signing on.

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He said: "Whilst we are saying the picture of 10,000 people signing on the dole is bad, the picture is much bleaker than that whenever we look at the number of people who have lost their jobs in construction already."

Mr Fox warned the next four to six months would prove the most challenging period.

Northern Ireland is set to lose out in the long term if skilled workers migrate, warned the Executive Secretary.

"If only 10% stay where they go, it’s a considerable loss to Northern Ireland.

"We're talking to some major construction firms who are looking more and more to outside of Northern Ireland, to other places of work.

"They are saying if we bring someone across for a 12 month contract, if they bring their family across, the chances are some of those people will lay their roots there and won't come back and that means you lose the skills to Northern Ireland," he suggested.

"In 20 years time people will be looking for highly qualified, skilled professionals in the industry and because of this downturn at the moment, and if there is no action to try and remedy or at least alleviate matters, the impact isn't just now it continues into the future," added Mr Fox.

The group urged the Stormont Executive to push forward with planned infrastructure schemes, to bolster chances of staying afloat during the credit crisis.

(PR)