The difficulty of hiring election staff at short notice and due to pay levels will be raised by Dublin city’s top election official with TDs and Senators on Tuesday.
Dublin city’s returning officer Joseph Burke will highlight the issue at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Meanwhile, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, will outline how 250,000 people joined the Electoral Register between last December and June this year.
It comes as uncertainty remains over the timing of the general election.
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Taoiseach Simon Harris has repeatedly said he intends for the Government to run its full term – which would indicate an election early next year – but there has been rampant speculation in political circles that it will be in November.
Mr Burke will tell the committee how there are around 125 polling places for five constituencies in Dublin city and he recruits and trains approximately 1,200 people to work in them on polling day.
Poll clerks, presiding officers and supervisors are the roles on offer.
Pay for poll clerks in the 2020 general election was €367 for a 16-hour day.
Mr Burke says: “In some cases, particularly, Dáil elections, we get very short notice of an electoral event and this can make the recruitment and training of staff difficult.”
Mr Burke will say that his officer has always recruited and trained sufficient staff for all electoral events.
However, he adds that with almost full employment in Ireland recruitment is “becoming more challenging”.
He continues: “The rate of pay for the hours that they are required to work and the responsibilities that they have is making it increasingly difficult to retain and recruit staff.”
He says this has been highlighted with the Department of Public Expenditure and his office is “hopeful in the next charges order that the rates of pay can be increased.”
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