Employment Conditions

A 2022 report found that 63% of construction companies in Ireland find it hard to recruit talent, owing to a lack of career options and negative perceptions about working in the industry. One in three construction firms believe young talent is emigrating from Ireland.

As an industry we are faced with major skills shortages yet we often overlook the talent pool in the local communities in which we work. We need to do more to engage local and diverse communities into our industry.

Major clients are using their procurement processes to encourage developers and their contracting partners to search for talent in their local communities. A diverse workforce has productivity benefits and by using local labour we are giving back to the communities in which we build, creating a sense of pride and belonging.

Clients expect the supply chain to not only engage a more local and diverse workforce, but they expect this to be monitored and reported – often using monetised values. We need to be able to quantify the benefits felt by the communities in which we work.