The Construction industry Federation is calling on the Government to increase investment in the sector to address what it describes as an 'infrastructure crisis'.
According to the CIF, infrastructure investment in Ireland is dangerously low, which is compromising the industry's potential for further growth and adversely affecting the country's ability to attract foreign direct investment.
The industry body, which is reporting to the Budgetary Oversight Committee this afternoon, is calling on the Government to raise its public infrastructure investment to 4% of GDP, from the 1.9% recorded for 2015.
The level of investment in infrastructure here has fallen from 5.6% of GDP in 2008.
The CIF said while most of the focus in the construction sector in recent times has been on the housing crisis, infrastructure investment has largely been ignored.
It wants the country to lobby the EU over a relaxation of fiscal space constraints, in order to free up funding for investment projects.
Construction is the largest sector in the Irish economy, contributing €15.5 billion last year and employing 139,000 people.
This figure is well below peak employment for construction, with numbers peaking at 276,200 in Q2 2007.
The numbers employed in the sector had fallen to 97,200 at the beginning of 2013.
In its report to the committee, the CIF also calls on Government to borrow more from the European Investment Bank to fund infrastructure projects here.
Currently, Ireland is in the lower quartile with regard to draw downs from the EIB.
In addition, the CIF wants the Government to delay the introduction of the rainy day fund, which is set to come into effect in 2019 and will see €1 billion being set aside each year to act as a counter-cyclical buffer.
