High-rise apartments should be prioritised in cities to allow workers to live close to where they work, Technology Ireland has urged.

Amid job losses in the tech sector, the Government has been urged to consider not only supply but the mix of housing in Ireland.

Una Fitzpatrick, director of Technology Ireland, an arm of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec) representing tech giants such as Google and Twitter, said: "Not everyone wants to live in an apartment, that's true. But an increasing number of people do. Indeed, many industries prefer to base themselves in highly dense, urbanised locations. This is often overlooked in public commentary."

She said height and density must be planned to improve quality of life within cities.

"This will allow Ireland to become more competitive, resilient and inclusive. All of this affects a city's ability to attract or retain people. We must seize on the opportunity that the National Planning Framework affords to better connect quality of life and place."

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Separately, an Ibec spokesman said it wants policy-makers to balance the requirements for commercial and housing developments within cities.

"People should be able to choose to live close to where they work," he said. "This requires local authorities not to implement policies that, intended or not, prioritise one over the other.

"Dublin City Council has a lower maximum height requirement for residential buildings than for commercial premises in the inner city. This policy, left unchecked, will only encourage more sprawl."

Property manager Owen Reilly said up to 90% of his tenants in Dublin's Docklands are tech workers recruited from Europe to work in Ireland "in their 30s, earning €93,000 per year... Many of them won't even know what three-bed semis are. If they stay longer, they may end up migrating to that type of property."

He said preference for apartments was based on experience of renting in their home countries or growing up in apartments.

Mr Reilly said there was a lack of appropriate housing for tech workers, but the problem extends across the housing market.

"If you are looking to rent a two-bedroom in Dublin for €2,500 to €3,000, the market might look reasonably normal to you - you have options," he said, adding that others would be "taken aback" by a lack of options.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said housing was not a "push factor" for companies investing in Ireland but he acknowledged there was "not the right mix".

He said: "I want to see more development in our cities", adding there was "nothing wrong" with well-designed "high density".