Tilers from Manchester, plasterers from Birmingham, quantity surveyors from London - the rich mix of accents on construction sites in Galway and throughout the county reflects the keen demand for skills amid growing competition to retain qualified staff.
The pressure is no longer just in Galway city, where property prices have long matched those of Dublin. "Athenry, Headford, Tuam, Clifden, Oughterard, Gort all have their new housing schemes, sometimes in several estates," says Ray Gilboy, regional director with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) in Galway. "There is a major shortage of available staff in the blocklaying, plastering and carpentry trades, and there is also a shortage of kerb-layers and good general operatives," he says. "Anyone unemployed in the building industry over here now just doesn't want to work."
Apart from frenetic activity on new housing schemes on the city's periphery, Galway's skyline is dominated by cranes involved in commercial projects, such as the Mutton Island causeway, multi-storey car parks and the new aquarium in Salthill. The CIF ran a two-page advertisement in The Irish Post several weeks ago, with specific reference to technical and engineering staff. It has found this to be one of the most effective routes in terms of recruitment. "When we ran a similar advertising campaign just over a year ago, up to 9,000 Irish in the construction industry abroad returned," Mr Gilboy says.
Some projects, mainly in housing, have been held up because of the dearth of qualified personnel, according to several sources in the industry in Galway. Among architects, quantity surveyors and engineers, there is also a mobility never seen before in two decades in the western region. In Galway itself, such staff are moving within six months of taking up posts, snapping up more lucrative offers. The large construction firms, such as Rhatigans, have a pool of regular sub-contractors. However, some sub-contracting staff have been making pay demands that builders have been forced to concede to in order to complete projects. "Loyalty is not the issue here at the moment," one source says.
