Property Industry Ireland (PII), the Ibec trade association representing the property sector, has today published a new skills report examining the future workforce requirements for housing and critical infrastructure. According to the report, the Irish construction sector- which currently employs over 177,600 workers- will need to add between 95,000 and 110,000 additional roles. This equates to roughly 25,000 new workers per year to deliver the unprecedented pipeline of investment planned between now and 2030.
The report notes that a severe skills shortage, an ageing workforce, and persistent challenges in attracting new and diverse talent threaten the sector’s ability to meet future demand. The sector currently has approximately 54,400 fewer workers than at its 2007 peak, a deficit exacerbated by the exodus of talent following the 2008 financial crash. Furthermore, 20% of the current workforce is expected to retire within the next decade. Beyond general labour shortages, worker retention is further challenged by uncertainty surrounding project timelines.
David Howard, Director of PII, said: “It is understandable that we focus on the immediate skills and capacity needed, given the chronic issues associated with housing and critical infrastructure delivery. However, our 2030 goals- such as the delivery of 300,000 new homes- cannot be achieved solely through reforms in the Government’s housing strategy or new allocations under the National Development Plan. Success is ultimately dependent on our ability to scale our workforce significantly.
“While the required scale is considerable, several opportunities exist. Arguably the most important is how we attract and retain talent for Irish projects. One of the greatest impediments caused by how we deliver infrastructure is that Irish talent often finds itself assigned to international projects due to delays or uncertainty at home. Improving timelines, particularly for public sector projects will enhance our ability to keep talent in Ireland.
“Our approach must also be underpinned by ensuring diversity and inclusion are at the heart of workforce development, whether through updating critical skills visas to include essential construction work or improving pathways for greater female participation. Key to this will also be ramping up our apprenticeship models and maximising new ways of working through AI adoption and the wider use of Modern Methods of Construction.”
