As US investment in Ireland continues to grow strongly, business focus is increasingly turning to the country’s capacity to support further expansion. Over the past year, employment by US companies in Ireland increased from 210,000 to 245,000 jobs, underlining both the strength of Ireland’s investment proposition and the growing pressure on the country’s infrastructure to support this growth.
In AmCham’s most recent FDI Insights survey, housing was ranked as the number one challenge Ireland must overcome for companies to expand, and the greatest risk to continued foreign direct investment over the next five years. For businesses seeking to grow their workforce, more than one third of respondents identified housing as the main barrier to hiring new talent.
More broadly, businesses point to housing and transport together as the two areas with the greatest potential to unlock further growth. When AmCham members were asked which national commitments offer the greatest opportunity for Ireland’s growth and investment environment, the Government’s new housing strategy ranked highest, cited by 27% of respondents, followed closely by major transport projects, including the MetroLink and BusConnects, at 24%.
The message from business is clear. Housing and transport are not peripheral policy issues, but core economic enablers.
The Government’s commitment to provide over €9 billion in capital funding for housing in 2026 is an important step in addressing this challenge. Building on spending commitments, what businesses will now look for is delivery in housing policy and planning reform that increases supply, reduces uncertainty and shortens delivery timelines.
In that context, AmCham has called for housing targets to be regularly updated to reflect current and future demand, for planning regulations to be reviewed to ease the route to market for developments, and for innovative delivery models to be used to accelerate supply.
Clear planning timelines and the prioritisation of critical infrastructure projects will be central to providing the certainty investors need. Housing must be viewed not only as a social priority, but as essential economic infrastructure that underpins employment, productivity, and competitiveness.
Transport infrastructure plays a similarly important role. There is significant potential to attract further investment into Ireland’s regions, but only if connectivity keeps pace. Investment plans such as the €22.3 billion sectoral allocation for transport, including BusConnects, Luas Cork, the Cork Light rail and the Western Rail Corridor, are essential to closing regional infrastructure gaps and supporting balanced regional development.
Balanced air connectivity is also critical. Strong passenger growth at Cork, Shannon, and Knock airports, alongside the €200 million capital development plan for Cork Airport, will help sustain regional competitiveness and ensure that investment momentum is supported across the country.
Alongside housing and infrastructure, talent remains the single most important enabler of Ireland’s investment proposition. In an AmCham survey conducted earlier this year, 100% of respondents said certainty around the availability of highly skilled talent is important to maintaining FDI employment in Ireland.
However, pressure points are becoming more pronounced. Nearly 64% of AmCham respondents report experiencing a skills gap in Ireland, particularly in digital and data roles, engineering, and machine learning and AI. Meanwhile, half of respondents say they are experiencing difficulty filling vacancies, underscoring the growing competition for specialist skills.
New survey data provides greater clarity on what is driving this challenge. When asked to identify the most significant barrier to filling vacancies, 44% of respondents cited a shortage of specialist skills, while 36% pointed to housing availability. This highlights the close interdependence between talent supply and housing capacity.
Addressing these challenges will require continued investment in education, targeted upskilling, and the expansion of apprenticeships as a scalable pathway into high-demand roles. The €79 million investment in apprenticeships under Budget 2026 is a positive step, but responsiveness to industry needs will be critical. A predictable and efficient employment permit and visa system also remains an essential enabler of growth, particularly for specialist roles that cannot be filled domestically.
Ireland’s has an opportunity now to deepen the success already achieved by supporting the next phase of growth. That will depend on our ability to deliver housing, transport infrastructure, and talent capacity at the pace required by a growing economy. If we meet that challenge, Ireland can continue to attract high-quality investment, support regional development, and further strengthen its position as a destination of choice for global business.
