The crisis in the availability of affordable housing in Ireland is becoming the critical barrier to the continued growth and development of business investment. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.

The housing crisis has increasingly become a concern in relation to cohesion in the workplace and society more broadly. Younger workers, in particular, are financially pressed by ever-higher rents and the receding prospect of homeownership. This ultimately spills over into issues around well-being and productivity in the workplace, while in the longer-term, if left unchecked, will also create emerging challenges in terms of pension adequacy and people’s broader stake in society over the coming decades.

Key recommendations:

Read / Better Housing, Better Business

Ibec’s ‘Better Housing, Better Business’ report sets out proposed policy on affordable and cost-rental housing, examines the funding of private housing development and looks how to improve viability and affordability, the rental market, planning reform and timelines, skills and capacity in construction and modern methods of construction and productivity.