Rural SMEs struggle to compete with remote-working city salaries 

Large employers are buying up homes to ensure their employees have somewhere to stay, an Oireachtas committee heard

Housing is now the second most important consideration for employees behind a salary or wage offer.

Business associations have warned that Irish SMEs trying to attract talent in rural areas are struggling to compete with multinational corporations, who are paying city base salaries for employees to work remotely.

Speaking before an Oireachtas committee on enterprise, trade and employment on Wednesday, Chambers Ireland chief executive Ian Talbot said that the greatest challenge facing small and medium enterprises this year is “the lack of available talent which is driven by affordable and appropriate housing being unavailable across most of the country”.