Ireland needs 120,000 new construction workers to achieve climate and housing targets

The likes of renewable energy and home retrofitting experts have long warned that ambitious plans to take Ireland to 2030 and beyond would require a huge influx of labour. File photo

More than 280,000 construction workers will have to be hired or re-skilled in order to meet climate and housing targets by 2030, according to a new industry analysis.

Research carried out by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) for the EU-funded Build Up Skills Ireland 2030 scheme found that 120,000 new workers would be needed in construction, with a further 164,000 needing to be re-trained.

The likes of renewable energy and home retrofitting experts have long warned that ambitious plans to take Ireland to 2030 and beyond would require a huge influx of labour, with the new research bearing that out.

It said that in spite of a tenfold rise in construction and engineering courses over the last two years, enrolment remains relatively low, with students enrolling in some apprenticeships decreasing. 

Of those who choose apprenticeships, over 60% are electricians, showing an imbalance in critical trades, with a marked shortage of plumbers and carpenters, the researchers said.

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Ireland's climate action plan includes measures such as 500,000 homes being retrofitted to a Building Energy Rating of B2, and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes by 2030.

The Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) said that while most of the focus to date has been on improving energy efficiency, a more holistic approach is required to tackle the climate and housing crises. 

IGBC programme manager, Sinéad Hughes, said: "We need to better use our existing stock and make sure that new builds are not only highly energy efficient but are also designed and built to reduce embodied carbon emissions. This requires upskilling the industry in topics such as whole life cycle measurement and circularity."

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Dermot Carey of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said a cultural shift is needed to highlight careers in the sector.

"Addressing this challenge will require more diversity in the industry, and a cultural shift so that more people see apprenticeships and traineeships as a viable and rewarding option. 

"The construction sector has a vast array of opportunities to offer but we need more young people to consider it as a career choice to ensure the industry can continue to evolve and thrive to secure a future pipeline of talent," he said.

TUS Dean of Flexible and Work-based Learning, Seamus Hoyne, said industry and education must work together to improve construction processes and address climate change.