EURES: Job Opportunities in Ireland

As an international trading economy, Ireland is heavily dependent on foreign trade and influenced by global markets. Ireland is regularly cited as one of the most open markets in the world and rates highly in globalisation indexes.

Ireland’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarkable. In 2022, we experienced both historically high employment rates and low unemployment rates. The monthly unemployment rate for November 2023 stood at 4.8%.

The strong employment growth has produced considerable opportunities. It has also led to significant challenges in sourcing candidates to fill vacant roles.

Ireland’s comparatively young population is entering working age and inward migration of working-age adults into the labour force remains below levels needed to meet skills demands. As immediate concerns around energy costs and supply chains are easing, a dwindling pool of available labour will likely remain a key constraint on growth for the Irish economy over the years to come.

The National Skills Bulletin 2023 provides an analysis of the Labour Market in Ireland and skills shortages (where are jobs available): national-skills-bulletin-2023.pdf (solas.ie)

Shortages identified in:

Science & Engineering

• Analytical/process & medical scientists
• Quality control/assurance, process & design engineers
• Mechanical, electrical & automation engineers
• Maintenance/lab technicians

Construction

• Quantity surveyors
• Civil engineers & construction project managers
• Plumbers
• Carpenters

Health & Social Care

• Medical practitioners
• Nurses
• Healthcare assistants
• Care workers (labour shortage)

ICT

• IT project managers
• Software developers/engineers
• IT analysts/engineers

Transport & Logistics

• HGV drivers
• Bus & coach drivers

Hospitality

• Chefs

Other Craft

• CNC programmers
• Welders/fabricators

Recruitment issues are also occurring in occupations including:

• Primary/secondary school teachers,
• Project/operations managers,
• Production managers in manufacturing,
• Social workers,
• Construction occupations (e.g. bricklayers/plasterers, painters)

Outlook

Retention of existing staff and upskilling/reskilling of the current workforce (e.g. as a result of digitalisation and/or climate-related activities) will be key concerns for employers as demand for skills exceeds supply across many occupations.