Kieran Christie, head of the ASTI, is calling for subsidised housing for key workers. This is not a new thing and other countries have allowances and supports for some sectors but what is a key worker?
The narrative is that it's teachers and nurses but there are other jobs that are far more important for the country to function. The people who keep the lights on, the water running, take our waste away and deliver food to the shops are the real key workers and are paid far less than teachers or nurses so where does the list stop? The average salary for a primary school teacher aged between 25 and 34 is €50,000, with the opportunity to do grinds or summer work on top of that. Nurses aren't as well paid and work much longer hours over the year but they earn an average of €45,000 a year. Should people on reasonably good incomes get subsidised housing based only on their job? If so at what salary level should that support be removed? And given that there is a housing shortage what group should they be prioritised ahead of? I see some merit in a "Dublin allowance" (or Galway or Cork etc) but even more government intervention of this sort in the housing market is the last thing we need.
The narrative is that it's teachers and nurses but there are other jobs that are far more important for the country to function. The people who keep the lights on, the water running, take our waste away and deliver food to the shops are the real key workers and are paid far less than teachers or nurses so where does the list stop? The average salary for a primary school teacher aged between 25 and 34 is €50,000, with the opportunity to do grinds or summer work on top of that. Nurses aren't as well paid and work much longer hours over the year but they earn an average of €45,000 a year. Should people on reasonably good incomes get subsidised housing based only on their job? If so at what salary level should that support be removed? And given that there is a housing shortage what group should they be prioritised ahead of? I see some merit in a "Dublin allowance" (or Galway or Cork etc) but even more government intervention of this sort in the housing market is the last thing we need.
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