Jobs outlook in Ireland for 2020

Ireland witnessed a steady fall in the unemployment rate after the global recession in 2008. In 2019, this rate was below 5%. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the unemployment rate increased to 28.2% in May this year according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

However, this situation is expected to improve as the economy gradually opens. Ireland’s job outlook was relatively positive prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, let us look at how the employment scenario was at that point in time.

 Economy of Ireland

Ireland stands at number 4 in the world in GDP on a per capita basis. It also attracts overseas investment due to the fact that it has the highest population under the age of 25 in the Eurozone.

All these factors are expected to have a positive impact on job growth in Ireland. Sectors such as manufacturing, transport and distribution are expected to see job growth till 2025.

In addition, there will be job opportunities in multiple sectors.  Overseas job seekers have bright chances thanks to a skills shortage and demand for certain roles in key industries. The job outlook is positive for the technology and IT, finance and the pharmaceutical sectors.

Technology and IT sector

The IT sector in Ireland generates 35 billion pounds per annum and employs more than 35,000 people. The country has more than 200 IT companies and the world’s top IT companies have their headquarters here, these include Google, Facebook, Twitter, and PayPal. Some of the top jobs in this sector are software engineers, developers, UI developers, UX and UI designers and professionals in data analytics.

Finance sector

Post-Brexit, financial institutions are preferring to set up their business in Ireland. They consider Ireland as a gateway to the EU and the US and many London based companies have indicated their intention to relocate.

 A survey by EY on Brexit confirms that many financial businesses have selected Dublin to move their operations once Brexit comes into effect. These include banks, insurance firms, fintech companies etc.

This is expected to create more than1,500 jobs in this sector. The roles will include financial analysts, accountants, payroll specialists and finance professionals with language skills.

Pharmaceutical sector

More than 2000 job openings are expected in the financial sector. There will be a high demand for Quality Assurance (QA) professionals.

Healthcare sector

A rise in the number of private healthcare providers will increase job opportunities in this sector especially for nursing professionals.

Top job roles

According to the Hays Ireland Salary and Recruiting Trends, 2020 the top job roles in Ireland are in the technology and the construction sectors. The top job roles in Ireland for 2020 based on this report are:

Technology:

Business intelligence analyst
DevOps engineer
Software engineering lead

Construction:

Quantity surveyors

Site engineers

Finance:

Auditor

Newly qualified accountant
Commercial insurance underwriter
Compliance manager