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Job quality in the Irish construction sector

The emergence of Ireland from the financial crisis that began in 2008 has been a long process. Consecutive years of ... Show more
The emergence of Ireland from the financial crisis that began in 2008 has been a long process. Consecutive years of cuts to public spending and increases in income and other taxes depressed economic activity. The construction sector was the hardest hit of all, and was also reeling from the effects of the collapsed housing bubble. This report is an examination of job quality in the Irish construction sector. Job quality is multi-dimensional, and there are many ways to broach the subject. One aspect of employment is contractual stability. In recent years there has been growth in low paid, less-skilled, unstable service jobs in the wider economy. This can raise job-related stress, inhibit family formation, make access to accommodation difficult, and more. Stability of employment is therefore an important consideration in any assessment of job quality.
We will show that for most of the 2000s the level of precariousness in the construction sector was similar to the rest of the economy. Unsurprisingly, the financial crisis resulted in a steep decline in contractual stability as much of the workforce were made unemployed and firms struggled during the downturn. As the economy has recovered, so has stability of employment in the sector, and construction now has a lower proportion of temporary contracts compared to the rest of the economy. However, the recovery has been incomplete, and solo self-employment seems to be a particular problem. The cyclicality of the sector is at the root of many of the problems it faces including productivity, labour shortages, and job stability. We argue that addressing this boom-bust cycle needs to be a policy priority for Government.
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Authors: Sweeney, Robert

Date: 2021

Geographic subjects: Ireland; Europe

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Employment; Industry; Labour market ... [+] Show more
Determining labour and skills shortages and the need for labour migration in Ireland

This European Migration Network Study aims to investigate the process in place in Ireland for identifying labour an ... Show more
This European Migration Network Study aims to investigate the process in place in Ireland for identifying labour and skills shortages by providing an overview of the mechanisms and tools used for that purpose. The role of economic migration from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) in addressing such shortages is examined. The extent to which information on shortages guides labour migration policy is also discussed. This report is based on the Irish contribution to an [European Union] EU-wide European Migration Network (EMN) study on determining labour shortages and the need for labour migration from third countries, i.e. countries outside the EU.
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Authors: Gusciute, Egle; Quinn, Emma; Barrett, Alan

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Ireland; Europe

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: ESRI research series

Subjects: Migration; Skills and knowledge; Labour market ... [+] Show more
Working life in the COVID-19 pandemic 2021

This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries - the 27 EU Me ... Show more
This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries - the 27 EU Member States and Norway. The country reports summarise evidence on the impact of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on working life based on national research and survey results during 2021. They outline the policy responses of governments and social partners in their efforts to cushion the socioeconomic effects and include a focus on policy areas related to adapting to the pandemic and the return to work. This includes in particular a focus on new health and safety arrangements at work, new work arrangements, policies to address labour shortages and wages and wage setting. The reports also explore the impact of the pandemic on social dialogue, collective bargaining and industrial action.
Please note that there is no consolidated report on working life in the EU in 2021. The available report provides the collective list of links to the individual country reports.
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Corporate authors: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

Date: 2022

Geographic subjects: Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria ... [+] Show more Republic">Czech Republic; [-] Show less

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: Industrial relations and social dialogue (Eurofound)

Subjects: Employment; Economics; Policy ... [+] Show more

Job quality in the Irish construction sector

Determining labour and skills shortages and the need for labour migration in Ireland

Working life in the COVID-19 pandemic 2021