National Framework for Meeting Priority Construction Workforce Needs

This report, submitted to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), presents research and analysis conducted by Indecon International Economic and Strategic Consultants (Indecon) to support the development of a national framework for meeting priority construction workforce needs.

A number of landmark Government strategies has highlighted the major demands to be met from Ireland’s construction workforce to meet Government priorities in housing, climate action, and other infrastructure. This report provides an analysis of the scale of Ireland’s construction skills gap, and provides a number of recommendations around:

• Monitoring workforce trends and evaluating the effectiveness of measures to address construction-related priorities

• Modernising and strengthening construction industry productivity

• Prioritising and sequency of investment and other construction plans

• Pursuing new options for expanding apprenticeship and education and training capacity

• Boosting the attractiveness of construction and MMC careers

• Leveraging skilled inward migration to help address skill shortages