More than half (56pc) of construction companies in Ireland believe that robotics and artificial intelligence could reduce the number of construction workers on building sites.

Nearly three out of four Irish building firms said that technology is improving productivity while another 54pc said they had invested in new technologies in the past 12 months — according to a recent Construction Industry Federation (CIF) survey.

A further 62pc of companies planning to invest in new tech soon and that building information modelling (BIM) technology would be important to their business in future.

CIF director general Tom Parlon: ‘The future of construction is digital. It will improve productivity, AI can reduce workplace accidents, foster collaboration that makes us more efficient.

‘People may be concerned about automation replacing workers, but construction technology will also future-proof jobs and enable radically new high-end careers. By supporting our workforce and embracing technology our construction workers can stay relevant and develop rewarding careers.

‘But a tech-enabled construction industry isn’t far off in the future. We simply must adopt the technologies of tomorrow, today, to solve the major challenges we face.’

Parlon added that he and CIF president Pat Lucey had met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to ‘discuss obstacles facing the industry in delivering urgently-needed housing and critical infrastructural elements identified in the government’s Project Ireland 2040.’

CIF director of specialist contracting Sean Downey said: ‘CIF have led the discussion on digital transformation since the establishment of the National BIM Council in 2015.

‘Our primary agenda has been to enable our member companies to understand what clients need, how these needs are changing, and to be in a position to respond.

‘Through the CIF’s Construction 4.0 committee, our objective is to facilitate SME adoption and enable regional members to avail of the national supports through both Enterprise Ireland and their local LEO office.’

The results come after a recent CIF report on productivity, which showed that there was a 20pc increase in investment in building and construction in 2018, with €26bn invested during the year.