Housing crisis adds to SMEs’ struggle to get best workers

A MANAGER at one of Ireland’s biggest recruitment firms has said some Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to compete due to multinationals offering staff accommodation packages.

As the housing crisis rages on into 2019, supply of appropriate properties for workers continues to be a point of concern for many businesses. Multinationals such as Facebook and PwC have taken to offering new recruits accommodation packages, in some cases rent-free.

Libby Kelly, a director in CPL recruitment, said the firm cannot sugarcoat the accommodation issue when approaching candidates with job offers from Dublin.

‘The tech boom is definitely as big as everyone says it is, therefore it’s a candidate market, there’s a huge demand for good tech candidates,’ she said. ‘We have all the big employers here: Google, Facebook, Salesforce, huge technology firms.

‘The cost of living and the lack of accommodation is a factor for international candidates.

‘Companies want international candidates, they want diversity in their workforce, but the cost of living is a big factor so employers are becoming more and more creative with relocation packages.’

She added: ‘The average rent in Dublin, 40 minutes from the city, you’re talking €1,400 a month, and [in] the city centre, the sky is the limit, so when you’re trying to bring leaders to your company, when discussing rent, it can be a challenge.

‘Due to the housing crisis, there has been an uptake in large companies looking at cities such as Galway, Cork and Limerick to set up an Irish base in a more cost-effective city.’

Neil McDonnell, chief executive of the Irish SME Association, said the concerns about housing are only part of a wider issue.

‘We have had concerns raised not by medium/mid-cap companies that they are unable to either attract talent at the rates offered by foreign multinationals,’ he said.