My IT article: The state should be building new houses not buying existing ones

Agreed. But the reason continental companies build apartments so much cheaper is because they build at greater scale/height, and building apartments is the norm rather than an exception. I suspect they also don't try to constrain the percentage of small units in the way some councils here do, or limit access to finance for buyers in the way lenders do here (in particular via the minimum 20% deposit for 1 bed units that has strangled the development of 1 bed apartments for sale here since 2010).
 
The main constraint on the supply of housing seems to be labour.
Should we be giving tax breaks to those working in the construction sector? Maybe an extra personal allowance of €5000 to €10,000 a year for construction tradespeople who are employed on building sites. It is that constraint caused by labour shortages that is driving up housing costs and causing wage inflation and labour shortages in sectors such as healthcare, policing and education.

It's difficult, skilled and dangerous work, much more dangerous and difficult than healthcare and education, with much harsher working conditions, so it's not surprising that people are not attracted to it.
 
It is very difficult and dangerous work. I left school in the Eighties with a bad leaving cert. Went to the UK and started working on sites. The wages weren't great , but the cost of living was low. You could get a bedsit for 40 quid a week!.
The health and safety was pretty nonexistent , especially working for a subbie. I was at this type of manual work for over 35 years.

Fast forward to today. I am now on invalidity benefit , serious back problems due to years of lifting and dragging, working out in all weathers.

Finally finished off by my company taking shortcuts and not providing any lifting aids to do a dangerous job. My invalidity is E 225 per week and I get the princely sum of E49.00 per month pension from the Construction workers pension fund.That's the reward for 35 years of hard graft. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you went in to the dry trades, like plumbing, sparks or carpentry.
 
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Yep, and you were providing shelter for people, the most basic and necessary of all needs after food and much more important than healthcare or education. You should get a sticker for your car (if you can afford a car); "Not all heroes wear capes: construction worker".
 
Ha Ha , Thanks Purple! One thing I would say to anyone ,in any job is to sort your pension early. I didn't think my pension would be so bad.

To see some pension returns of some of the posters here is amazing!!
 
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