Ireland’s Opportunity to Deliver
The Construction Industry Federation’s Budget 2027 Submission sets out a roadmap for strengthening Ireland’s capacity to deliver the homes, infrastructure and climate-related investment the country needs over the coming decade. Built around five strategic pillars: Skills and Workforce Development, Strategic Infrastructure Delivery, Unlocking Housing Supply, Green and Digital Transition, and Competitiveness and Productivity, the submission identifies the practical policy measures required to support delivery and long-term economic growth.
Meeting Ireland’s Housing, Infrastructure and Climate Ambitions
Ireland’s ability to meet its housing, infrastructure and climate objectives will depend on the strength, productivity and resilience of the construction sector. While the State has demonstrated strong ambition and significant funding commitments, the challenge is increasingly one of delivery. The coming decade presents a critical opportunity to address longstanding deficits before demographic pressures place greater strain on public finances and reduce the State’s capacity to invest at current levels.
Addressing Delivery Challenges
The construction sector continues to perform strongly, with construction Gross Value Added increasing by 9.7% in 2025 and housing completions reaching 36,300 homes. However, evolving workforce capacity, planning and procurement inefficiencies, viability pressures and infrastructure constraints continue to affect delivery outcomes across housing and infrastructure projects. Ireland also faces a significant infrastructure and quality gap compared with leading international peers, highlighting the need to accelerate investment and project delivery.
Construction as a Driver of Economic Growth
Construction is more than a sector in its own right; it is an enabler of growth across the entire economy. Every new home, transport project, utility upgrade, school, healthcare facility and energy investment supports wider productivity, competitiveness and regional development. Budget 2027 provides an opportunity to strengthen delivery capacity, unlock housing supply, accelerate infrastructure delivery and support Ireland’s transition to a more sustainable and competitive economy.
Budget 2027 should focus on expanding capacity, stabilising delivery and improving system-wide efficiency to unlock housing, infrastructure and climate outcomes.
Construction Sector Capacity
+200,000 workers
36,300 new homes
9.7% GVA growth
National Infrastructure Challenge
32% infrastructure gap
27% quality deficit
Five strategic pillars
Each pillar reinforces the others in a continuous loop:
A strong workforce (skills) enables effective project delivery, which increases housing and infrastructure output; this, in turn, supports the green and digital transition, improving productivity and competitiveness, which feeds back into investment in people, systems, and delivery capacity.
Skills and Workforce Development
A skilled workforce is the foundation of construction delivery. While the sector has seen growth in employment and apprenticeship participation, evolving workforce capacity is an important factor influencing housing and infrastructure delivery.
Strategic Infrastructure Delivery
Ireland has funding but lacks delivery, certainty, and system capacity to execute major infrastructure projects.
Unlocking Housing Supply
Housing output remains below demand, highlighting ongoing viability challenges and the need for targeted measures to restore delivery across the residential pipeline.
Green and Digital Transition
Construction decarbonisation presents a significant opportunity supported by a suite of targeted recommendations to address current costs, technology, and energy system challenges and enable a practical, scalable transition.
Competitiveness and Productivity
Productivity is constrained by system inefficiencies, regulatory burden, and under investment in innovation.
From Ambition to Delivery
The construction industry is investing in people, innovation and capacity to meet Ireland’s future housing and infrastructure needs. What is required now is certainty and delivery.
By providing clear investment signals, predictable project pipelines and practical policy supports, Budget 2027 can unlock housing supply, accelerate infrastructure delivery, support climate objectives and strengthen Ireland’s long-term competitiveness.