Making Ireland more attractive for talented overseas workers

Irish people love hearing how great they are.

Barely a week goes by without the publication of a new piece of research highlighting the country’s success on the global stage and it’s always lapped up.

In the past month alone, studies have shown that Ireland ranks among the top four EU member states for competitiveness, is 14th globally for connectivity and is 13th out of 55 countries in terms of its reputation.

Hell, even dirty old Dublin was recently rated as the 24th most romantic city in the world (yes, really).

Not every study gives Ireland such a shining recommendation, however.

A new as-yet unpublished report, commissioned by the international jobs listing website. Indeed, ranks Ireland 20th among 55 countries in terms of its desirability as a work location.

According to the research, the largest numbers of people searching for jobs in Ireland from abroad come from the UK, the US, India, Canada and France.

For job seekers looking at relocating here, the most popular sectors in which jobs are sought include pharmacy, marketing and quantity surveying.

As Indeed’s managing director for Ireland, Gerard Murnaghan, told The Irish Times: “Ireland being ranked mid-range is disheartening if you’re a proud Irish person.”

This is particularly true when we consider the work of IDA Ireland and others in promoting Ireland as a place to live and work, and when we learn that as many as 9.1 per cent of global job seekers are reported to be prepared to switch country for a new position.

Overall, the Indeed Hiring Lab’s Cross-Border Labour Mobility report seems to show that despite a lot of effort, we still have a lot to do if we want to attract and retain top talent in an increasingly competitive international labour market.

Does all of this matter? With a high unemployment rate, we’re not in dire need of workers from elsewhere right now. In fact, the Indeed research shows emigration is still in the minds of Irish people, with the country ranked 13th in terms of Indeed’s “Movers Index”, which shows the percentage of job seekers in each country looking for a new position overseas.

But with the economy getting back on track and business experts advising of the need to attract top talent from abroad to help encourage entrepreneurship, it seems as though we may need to focus on how to make Ireland a more attractive destination for international workers.

According to Murnaghan, there’s plenty we can do, including taking a leaf out of Spain’s book and giving newly arriving professionals a lower PAYE rate for their first few years here. He’s also keen to see increased educational opportunities being offered to foreign nationals working here to encourage them to stay longer.

Charlie Taylor

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