The combined turnover of the country's top construction firms increased by €720m over the last 12 months to €6.72 billion, the latest Construction Magazine's annual Top 50 CIF Contractors listing shows.

The annual listing gives a snapshot of the overall growth in the construction sector as it delivers many largescale projects throughout Ireland and the world.

The top 50 Irish Contractors reported a combined turnover of €6.72 billion over the last 12 months, with €5.1 billion of this activity taking place in Ireland and a €1.62 billion resulting from exported construction services.

"The Top 50 listing gives a clear indication that construction is a dynamic industry sector looking to the future with vigour and ambition to deliver complex construction programmes at home and overseas," commented Robbie Cousins, the editor of Construction Magazine.

Tom Parlon, the director general of CIF, said that Irish main and specialist contractors are absolutely critical to the economy's competitiveness. 

"The largest corporations in the world locate in Ireland for many reasons. But, if our main and specialist contractors were not world-class they would never establish a footprint here. Ireland is working because this sector is working," he stated.

Mr Parlon said the construction industry emerged from the depths of the recession "leaner, more modern, sustainable, adaptable and resilient". 

But he added that there are significant improvements that still need to be made in order to preserve and support the sector's recovery into the future.

This includes working to attract workers back into the industry and making the process of moving home from abroad and gaining work in the sector more streamlined.

The Construction Magazine's Top 10 Contactors

1  John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Limited (€950,000,000)

2 Mercury Engineering (€600,000,000)

3 BAM Civil Ltd (€470,000,000)

4 John Paul Construction Ltd (€360,000,000)

5 Jones Engineering Group (€350,000,000)

6 Bennett (Construction) Ltd (€325,000,000)

7 JJ Rhatigan & Company (€245,000,000) 

8 Dornan Engineering Ltd (€218,400,916)

9 Roadbridge (€213,997,269)

10  Winthrop (€208,000,000)