Ireland has a population growth of more than five times compared to the EU average. In the year 2017, Ireland’s population rose by 1.1% per annum, a lot larger than the average for the EU of .2%. Additionally, Ireland had the highest birth rate of any EU member with 12.9 births per 1000 people.
A growing population is great for the economy; however, it causes additional problems as well. One of these problems is a major housing shortage, especially within the more densely populated cities, like Dublin.
One of the roadblocks that Ireland faces with improving the housing shortage is the lack of construction workers. At the current rate, it will be nearly impossible to keep up with the growing population in densely populated Irish cities. Attracting construction workers from abroad could be a short-term fix and become long-term. Additionally, an increase in construction workers would stabilize pay and lower costs for construction companies. Professor Alan Ahearne, Director of Whitaker Institute and Professor of Economics at the National University of Ireland, is worried that a large influx of workers would …