Plan to lure builders home hits brick wall
Harris’s promise to bring back workers is stuck in bureaucratic mire
A PROMISE by Taoiseach Simon Harris to fix housing ‘once and for all’ by bringing thousands of Irish builders back to Ireland to help construct homes is stuck in a bureaucratic mire, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
Despite the urgency of the housing supply crisis, the Department of Higher Education and Apprenticeships admitted this week that it is still in the process of considering a plan to execute the pledge.
Earlier this year, Mr Harris promised he would lure qualified Irish builders back as part of the Government’s promise to build a quarter of a million new homes.
And in one of his final acts as minister, he allocated €750,000 to the campaign.
The money is to be used to make contact with workers in cities such as London, New York and Sydney to establish what the Government can do to incentivise them to return.
Research says an extra 50,000 construction workers are required over the next decade to keep up with housing demand.
However, this week the Department of Higher Education did not have much progress to report.
A spokesman told the MOS: ‘The department is currently at an engagement phase to assess the motivations of skilled Irish construction workers who have moved abroad and to identify barriers that may exist to them coming home.
‘The former minister met with some of these workers while he was in London last month to hear directly from them and to discuss the career opportunities available in Ireland.
‘The findings of the ongoing engagement phase will help shape the approach taken to promotional activities in this space later this year,’ the spokesman added.
Asked what was the delay with this recruitment campaign, the Taoiseach responded to the MoS with a statement: ‘I will continue to champion the apprenticeship agenda and drive reform of construction through modern methods of construction. A key part of meeting our targets will be an increased labour force.’
Commenting on the department’s response this week, a Government source told the MoS: ‘They might be wise to improve on the pace of their response. The new Taoiseach is not a fan of too much gentlemanly consideration. He is in a bit of a hurry. The new minister, Patrick O’Donovan, would be wise to keep an eye on them too in case he is called into the Taoiseach’s office for an update.
‘We don’t need a reprise of the time he said he couldn’t spend his OPW budget.’
And a building trade source told the MoS: ‘There’s not much assessment needed as to why our builders are abroad.
‘Fellas are earning €1,000 a day for plastering rooms in London. Match that and they’ll come home quick.’
A department spokesman also said the campaign to encourage skilled workers to return home is just one of
‘Fellas are earning €1,000 a day’
several initiatives being undertaken in 2024.
Another tack will be a largescale social media campaign which will also take a ‘peer-topeer approach to dispel the myths surrounding what a career in construction is truly like’.
The spokesman added: ‘A documentary on the sector will also be produced and shared with schools.’
The under-supply of labour has been an ongoing problem in the construction industry, with fewer and fewer school-leavers opting for a career in the sector in recent years.
Studies have shown that secondary school guidance counsellors, though open to information on trades and construction, are still more focused on encouraging students towards an academic education.