Master Builders Australia has announced that the building industry is bracing itself for the tough conditions which lie ahead.

"The decline in construction jobs in the latest quarter reflects the projected decline in activity ... Employment data released by the ABS lend weight to Master Builders' prediction of 50,000 job losses in the building and construction industry over the next 12 months," said Wilhelm Harnisch, Master Builders chief executive officer.

While completing an economic survey, Master Builders discovered that more than 50 per cent of the builders questioned expect staffing/subcontact numbers to fall by more than 10 per cent as a result of the current economic crisis.

"To ensure that fiscal initiatives work in a timely fashion to provide the stimulus needed to cushion the economy, the Government must ensure that bureaucratic road blocks are removed and that project approvals are fast-tracked," Harnisch said.

The total number of people employed in the construction industry in the February 2009 quarter fell to 979,700 - down 0.5 per cent on the February 2008 quarter. The number of people employed in the construction industry in the February quarter represented 9.1 per cent of the total employed in the Australian workforce - down from 9.2 per cent at the same time last year.