Housing boom – Property owners back for seconds

THE penchant of Irish people to own property shows no sign of abating, judging by the latest report from ESRI, the economic think-tank.

Far from it, indeed, as existing homeowners splashed out a whopping €5.75 billion this year buying a second property or a holiday home.

The purr of the Celtic Tiger could be heard around the country where 20,000 of the 70,000 housing completions in 2004 were either second houses for rent or holiday homes in rural or coastal areas.

The picture is also rosy on the employment front with Ireland boasting the second-lowest unemployment rate in Europe, just a fraction higher than Luxembourg.

Good news also from FÁS which predicts 30,000 more jobs next year. The Government should heed its call for a green card-style system for non-EU workers.

Novel suggestions of a subsidy for employers who take on long-term unemployed people also warrants positive consideration. What better Christmas present for workers who have been consigned to the scrap-heap than the prospect of getting a job?