Key Takeaways
| Issue | Summary |
|---|---|
| Campaign Goal | Encourage Irish construction workers abroad to return home |
| Target Number | 50,000 additional workers needed by 2030 |
| Main Obstacle | Ireland’s cost of living and lack of housing |
| Average Wage Gap | Up to €30,000 less than equivalent trades in Australia/Canada |
| Critical Question | Where will returning workers live? |
| Potential Solution | Use vacant homes + Apple windfall for state-owned worker housing |
What Is the “Build Back Home” Campaign?
In October 2024, the Irish Government and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) launched the Build Back Home campaign, as part of a recruitment drive aimed at Irish tradespeople and professionals living abroad. Gov.ie
The initiative targets countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UAE, where thousands of skilled Irish builders, electricians, plumbers, and engineers have settled since the 2008 crash.
THE GOAL? – To bring home enough skilled labour to help deliver 303,000 homes by 2030 – the centrepiece of Ireland’s Housing for All plan.
Recently, targeted ad campaign banners were seen in Australia. To me, it only helped to highlight the desperation of the current coalition government, as well as the unfortunate shortage of construction talent in Ireland today. The Journal.
The campaigns promise “secure, well-paid, and future-focused” jobs in an industry desperate for staff. But behind the patriotic ads, there lies a deeper contradiction – Ireland is asking talent to come home to fix a housing crisis they themselves would struggle to live in.
So these are my observations:
1. Fine and Good. But Where Will Returning Workers Live?
Despite all my research, I have yet to find a single press release that answers this question.
Inviting thousands of Irish builders back home is admirable, but where are they supposed to live once they arrive? Ireland’s rental market is stretched to breaking point. At the time of this post, there are only 1700 properties available on Daft to rent nationwide on a given day .
Average rents now stand at:
| Location | Average Rent (1-Bed, Q3 2025) | Change vs 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin City | €2,100 | +38% |
| Cork City | €1,600 | +31% |
| Galway | €1,500 | +27% |
| Limerick | €1,400 | +29% |
*See RTB Rent Index
Even short-term lets, once seen as a stopgap for construction professionals, are being swallowed by corporate landlords or converted for tourism.
This is a circular crisis – we need more builders to build more homes, but those builders have nowhere affordable to live while doing it.
Until the State directly tackles this through dedicated worker accommodation or some form of cost-rental modular housing; this campaign will only appear as tone-deaf and collapse under its own irony.
2. Give Up Sun, High Wages, and Low Tax… for What Exactly?
In Australia, Canada, and the UAE, Irish tradespeople enjoy better weather, better pay, lower taxes, and more disposable income. Average construction wages in Australia can be €80,000–€100,000, often with a 10–15% lower effective tax rate and cheaper rent relative to income.
In Ireland, a skilled tradesperson earns roughly €45,000–€60,000, with marginal tax at 40% extra over €44,000. Add in an average €2,000 rent which would eviscerate about 40–50% of take-home pay in Dublin.
When you do the math, the offer begins to sound less like patriotism and more like punishment.
If the government is serious, it must recognise the economic trade-off. No one is coming home out of nostalgia alone. They’ll only come if it makes sense financially; for them and for their families.
3. Ireland Can Barely Provide a Reasonable Living Standard for Young Adults Today.
For many young people, the housing crisis isn’t just a policy issue; it’s also a life sentence.
Hear me out.
Even with full-time work, most young Irish residents cannot afford to rent independently, much less buy a home. According to MyHome.ie’s October 2025 report, the average house price is now eight times the average salary. This also makes Ireland one of the least affordable countries to live in in Europe.
Under these conditions, how can returning tradespeople, many of them in their 30s and 40s, be expected to settle back home with their families?
Meanwhile, the continued re-election of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for the last 14 years has left an entire generation questioning whether Ireland still works for them. Even staunch supporters who are typically skeptical of rival parties like Sinn Féin are beginning to think:
“We may not be sure if they’ll fix it – but at this point, what’s left to lose?”
This kind of thinking reflects a generational fatigue. So it’s not about party loyalty anymore, but more about a desire for change. And for young people that feel disillusioned by the current state of affairs, any change would do.
Political competence is about basic credibility. Right now, the government’s credibility doesn’t stretch much further than its next campaign launch.
4. No Point in Returning if Talent Doesn’t Feel They Get Special Benefits.
Returning construction workers should be met with some form of benefits that may include:
- Relocation Tax Credits for returnees, covering maybe the first 12–24 months back in Ireland for example.
- Temporary Rent Allowances/Privileges or Priority Cost-Rental Access for construction professionals.
- Childcare subsidies or education supports for families relocating,
- Recognition of Overseas Experience through fast-tracked certification (no bureaucratic delays).
Otherwise, “Build Back Home” will continue to be seen not as an opportunity, but only as a plea born of desperation.
5. Policymakers Protected the Banks in 2008 & Let Construction Collapse.
To me, this is a major fact that policymakers rarely acknowledge; the emotional economy of emigration.
When the global financial crisis hit, Ireland saved the banks but abandoned its builders.
- 40,000 construction jobs disappeared within 18 months. The Irish Independent.
- Apprenticeships evaporated.
- Thousands of small contractors went bankrupt.
- Mortgage defaults rose exponetially while developer loans were written off.
So when the same government now says “we need you back,” it may ring hollow to those who remember being left behind. Remember, 2008 is not so long ago!.
If Build Back Home wants to truly succeed, I believe the current government must acknowledge this wound caused by its predecessors. That requires honest messaging, not just some patriotic branding.
6. What About Ireland’s 160,000+ Vacant Homes?
This is perhaps the most glaring contradiction of all.
Why import labour to build more homes, when over 160,000 existing homes already sit empty? The 2022 Census reported 163,433 vacant dwellings, many in rural or small-town Ireland.
Even if just – say 30,000 are taken over by government directly and made viable for refurbishment, that’s enough to make a serious dent in supply.
Here’s a bold but logical idea:
| Proposal | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Use part of the €14 billion Apple tax windfall to buy and refurbish say 30,000 vacant homes | Immediate expansion of public housing stock |
| Assign 10,000 of refurbished units to construction workers returning under the campaign | Solves short-term accommodation need |
| Keep ownership under the State, not AHBs or REITs | Long-term affordability guaranteed |
This approach wouldn’t just boost housing in the short term, but also create jobs, revive local economies, and demonstrate that the State is finally willing to lead by example.
7. Build Back Home – Noble Idea, Flawed Execution.
To be fair, the campaign itself isn’t malicious; it’s just misaligned. The intention is good, but the government officials responsible for its implementation do not truly understand the pain the average person experiences during this housing crisis.
If they did, they would have quickly realised the areas where this campaign is simply tone-deaf.
Also, good intentions don’t mean good outcomes.
For the average tradesperson in Sydney, Toronto, or Perth, Ireland’s offer boils down to:
“Come home to worse pay, higher tax, and nowhere to live. But do it for patriotism.”
That’s not a compelling recruitment pitch, mate.
Average Construction Wage Comparison.
Ireland’s average construction wages have risen 10% in Q2 2025 alone, but that still hasn’t solved labour gaps.
| Role | Avg. Irish Salary (2025)* | Avg. Australia* | Avg. Canada* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | €55,000 | €90,000 | €80,000 |
| Plumber | €50,000 | €85,000 | €75,000 |
| Carpenter | €48,000 | €82,000 | €72,000 |
| Project Engineer | €60,000 | €95,000 | €88,000 |
* Salary figures are compiled by cross-referencing multiple, up-to-date public sources, and then normalising them into euros for an Irish context (as of Q3–Q4 2025).
When living costs are factored in, a tradesperson in Sydney can save nearly twice as much per month as their counterpart in Dublin – even with higher rents abroad. No amount of nostalgia will outweigh that math.
Conclusion
The ideas suggested above are not radical at all; I believe they’re practical, deliverable, and aligned with Ireland’s real needs. Ireland has the resources, but lacks the political willpower to achieve them.
The Build Back Home campaign could have been a proud, unifying moment – a call for Irish workers to return and rebuild the country they once had to leave behind. Instead, it risks being remembered as a tone-deaf gesture in a country barely struggling to house those already living here.
Ireland doesn’t need more PR campaigns. It needs bold decisions – like directly using its 14billion Apple tax windfall to create real, tangible homes and restore trust in public policy.
Until a tradesperson can afford to rent, live, and raise a family in the same country they’re asked to rebuild, Ireland won’t be building back home; it’ll just be building back irony.
