Irish engineering firms turn outward amid stalled infrastructure pipeline

With over 50% of civil engineering contractors reporting a drop in new orders, Irish construction firms are shifting their focus overseas. The latest CIF Outlook Survey reveals growing export activity, with nearly one-third of companies seeing year-on-year export turnover growth and 46% expecting further gains this quarter.

Despite rising project costs and persistent raw material inflation, demand for data centres, pharma plants, and healthcare facilities abroad is driving momentum—highlighting a strategic redeployment of talent offshore due to uncertainty at home.

The real issue isn’t capacity. Irish firms are equipped to deliver major infrastructure, but face planning delays, lack of zoned land, and slow rollout of enabling infrastructure. Without centralised coordination and procurement reform, the domestic pipeline remains unreliable.

Read the full Q2 2025 Construction Outlook to see what’s shaping engineering’s next move.