Employment in the Scottish construction industry increased by 9,000 to 176,000 during the three month period to June 2015, new figures have shown.

Published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the figures come on the back of latest official output data published on Friday which showed record output of more than £13 billion from the Scottish construction sector during the 12 months to June.

The Scottish Building Federation welcomed the 5 per cent rise in Scottish construction jobs but warned that rebuilding the industry’s employment base is still a priority.

Scottish Building Federation managing director, Vaughan Hart, said: “It is further good news for the Scottish construction industry that we’ve seen a 5 per cent rise in industry employment during the second quarter of 2015. That said, construction employment still has some way to go to come anywhere close to pre-recession levels.

“Coupled with record levels of industry output, the number of jobs supported by every £1 million of industry output has slipped from more than 20 prior to the recession to 13 over the 12 months to June this year.

“Of course, signs of increased productivity within the industry are to be welcomed. However, these latest figures reinforce our view that the main challenge Scottish construction now faces is to rebuild its skills and employment base by attracting more workers back into the industry.”