Construction work taking place at the Parklands estate in, Citywest, backed by the State's Land Development Agency: The NCPC points to a shortage of construction workers as a constraint on State-backed investment. , also late last week, makes one good suggestion on how to make progress in construction.Tender, hopeful, empowering: YA titles to devour this Mayand noted that fewer people work in this area at the moment than did in the Celtic Tiger era.
Much of the slack has been taken up by migrant workers, whose numbers have doubled since 2021 to 27,500. Many come from the European Economic Area and can move freely to Ireland, but a significant number come from countries such as Brazil, India, Philippines and South Africa through the employment permits system.
The NCPC believes that using the employment permit system to increase labour supply can be a part of the solution in the short-term. It may prove a politically difficult idea to sell in the atmosphere surrounding migration, but it reflects the reality that Ireland is far from full.