"The construction industry has been able to keep building through the various lockdowns towards the end of 2020, and the growth and resilience of the sector is a rare positive in a year that held so much hardship for so many.
"Positively, employee numbers have also risen slightly in December, after a sustained drop in numbers.
"With a Brexit deal agreed and various Coronavirus vaccines now rolling out to the population, there is a real hope among the industry that while we begin 2021 in a national lockdown, it can become a year of recovery and optimism as more of the workforce get back out to work in greater numbers."