International companies are not ‘best placed’ to build housing for their staff, according to the head of the agency responsible for enticing them to Ireland.this morning, IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said the housing crisis is a key concern for companies looking to invest in Ireland – but insisted developed economies all over the world are facing similar challenges.
He said the most important thing for companies looking to invest in Ireland is that they can see a plan that is “committed to at the highest levels within the State and that is delivered upon”.Asked whether major companies should consider building their own housing for staff, he said: “I'm not sure that's where companies are best placed to deliver that type of infrastructure, personally.”“I'm not sure that enterprises [should respond].
“If you go back to the pandemic and you look at a few lessons from the pandemic, everyone was striving to try and help, but they didn't all have the expertise to help in particular areas. “[In the end] everyone pulled together and I think that's really, really good, but when it comes down to it, if you really want to solve any problem, you have to have the people that know that business and know that problem.”Mr Lohan noted that the IDA announced 139 new Foreign direct investments into Ireland in its half-yearly review 10 days ago – over 50 of which were first-time investments.“You know, they're making those investments and decisions knowing where our challenges are.