Stephen Garvey, the CEO of Glenveagh Properties, one of Ireland’s leading house-building firms, has highlighted the need for enhanced diversity and inclusion within the construction industry. According to Garvey, nurturing a more diverse and inclusive workforce is a crucial step towards augmenting industry capacity to effectively address Ireland’s housing crisis. He also emphasised the importance of fostering a culture that mirrors the changing demographics and needs of workers within the industry.
Garvey opined that a diverse workforce fills an essential role in displaying the construction industry’s commitment to ethical conduct in all aspects of business operation. As an employer, he argues that it’s our responsibility to create an environment where workers feel respected and appreciated. He further pushed the notion that the construction industry, traditionally perceived as lacking in diversity and inclusivity, needs to collectively address this issue.
He expressed the industry’s need for more female workers, more overseas individuals now residing in Ireland, and more representatives from the LGBTQIA+ community. Confronting this need, he says, is a shared responsibility of all within the industry, and he pledged to collaborate with other construction employers to overcome this challenge.
Despite a fall in earnings, Glenveagh maintains their progress toward their building goals this year. The company, in their recent trade update, reported completion of 800 out of 2,700 units targeted for 2024. Their expectation is to see a more than twofold rise in full-year earnings per share to 17 cent, a significant increase from 8 cent in 2023. However, revenue has seen a decrease, with figures for the final six months to June dropping to €150 million from €172 million the previous year.
Glenveagh made headlines as it became the first construction company in Ireland to receive gold accreditation from the Irish Centre for Diversity, a development that came subsequent to Garvey’s comments on diversity.