The current lack of affordable housing is impacting on the construction sector’s ability to meet future targets according to recruitment firm Sonas Technical. Significant numbers of junior and middle ranking engineers and other professionals are emigrating due to the lack of accommodation options in Ireland, the recruiter says.
In its 2025 Salary & Benefits Report, the firm, which recruits on behalf of the public sector and some of the country’s leading construction and engineering firms, says the loss of well qualified younger workers to overseas is contributing to substantial talent shortages in key areas, something that is impacting the sector’s ability to deliver on Government housing targets.
The shortages are driving increases in pay while employers are also having to offer other benefits to attract staff in roles such as quantity surveyor, project engineer and site manager with hybrid working routinely expected where practicable.
The report suggests more than three quarters of firms in the construction and engineering sectors have issues with attracting the staff they need and many are finding it difficult to hold on to junior and middle ranking workers due to housing and other factors.
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“While demand for skilled professionals continues to rise, a lack of housing is driving early-career talent away from the Irish market,” it says.
“This ‘brain drain’ is not just a challenge for employers—it’s a direct threat to our ability to build the homes and infrastructure that Ireland urgently needs.
“Young professionals are seeking opportunities abroad, but for those roles to be filled, we must create a sustainable environment with affordable housing options here in Ireland.”
The firm says many young Irish professionals are choosing to relocate to countries where housing is more affordable leaving firms here with vacancies that have to be filled by recruitment overseas although this is not always possible.
“Without intervention,” it says, “this migration pattern could prolong construction timelines and exacerbate Ireland’s housing shortage”.
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Sonas technical managing director, Derek Byrne, suggests “both the housing crisis and talent retention must be addressed together,” in the sector.
“We need to offer competitive benefits and career progression, but we must also make sure that young professionals can afford to live here while contributing to building the very homes the country needs.”
Pay is one aspect of persuading qualified young staff to work in the sector but, he says, “hybrid working is no longer a perk, it is expected”.
The potential for career progression is a key factor for those considering their options in the sector, he suggests, while 75 per cent of professionals working in the construction and engineering areas believe more needs to be done to attract women into technical roles including a greater emphasis on the promotion of early science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
