Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is absolutely correct about one thing, which is that employers are struggling to recruit and retain staff. It is the case in the public sector and in the private sector, in big companies and small companies and in well-paid jobs and poorly-paid jobs. The main reason for this is full employment. The unemployment rate in Ireland stands at or around 4%, and most of the people unemployed are in between jobs. In fact, many economists say we are now beyond full employment, and this is the context in which employers are struggling to recruit and retain staff. This is the main reason, albeit not the only reason.

Turning to vacancy, the Deputy mentioned vacant social housing. Roughly 2% of our social housing stock is vacant and most of that is because the buildings are being renovated, are between tenants or are earmarked for demolition as part of regeneration. It will always be the case that 1% or 2% of social housing properties are vacant.

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