Labour Party senator Mark Wall has called for the end to the exclusion of apprentices from minimum wage legislation.
Mr Wall said that the rate of pay for some apprentices is "well below" the minimum wage of €11.30 per hour.
He said that the low pay makes it particularly difficult for someone with children to go into a trade.
Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Mr Wall said: "The problem that we have here is that for the first couple of years, it can be as low as €6.84 or €8.45 as a start-off electrician rate and that's obviously well below the €11.30 minimum wage and nobody should be working for less than the minimum wage at this time."
Mr Wall added: "I think if we're looking at the housing crisis that we're in at the moment, something needs to happen very urgently."
The Labour Party will put forward a motion on Thursday demanding emergency housing measures.
In a statement, Mr Wall said too many vacant and derelict homes remain unused and must be brought back into life.
He said: "From talking to contractors, they are finding it really difficult to retain apprentices and this is confirmed by Connect Trade Union who have said that excluding apprentices from being paid the minimum wage is forcing young workers out of the crafts.
"Labour will call on the Government to drop the exemption from paying apprentices the minimum wage. Paying anyone below the minimum wage for a day's work in this country is simply unacceptable.
"We need to encourage young people into apprenticeships like building to address the labour shortages that are holding back the building of homes.
"We have record levels of homelessness, families stretched beyond their means just to keep a roof over their head, young people leaving our shores once again. Investing in our apprentices could unlock a long-term solution to the labour shortages that are causing delays in delivering homes."
