Hiring levels in IT return to pre-pandemic level, says IrishJobs report

Report shows hiring patterns returning to 2019 levels

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Professional job vacancies in IT accounted for 6% of listings in the fourth quarter of 2023 on recruitment website IrishJobs in 2023, down 1% on the previous year and returning to pre-pandemic (2019) levels.

Lead data architects and data security officers were among the most in-demand roles last year, indicating a rising demand for data management skills as more organisations develop AI and Big Data capabilities.

Remote/working-from-home vacancies across all sectors fell for the second successive quarter, dropping by 20% in Q4. This followed an earlier rebound in remote/working-from-home vacancies in the second quarter. While the rate of the decrease in Q4 was significantly faster than the decline in overall vacancies, it is unclear whether the Q4 figures point to a long-term stabilisation, or even reduction, of the level of homeworking in Ireland.

In a continuing trend for 2023, employers in cities including Dublin (74%) and Limerick (15%) were responsible for the vast majority of working-from-home vacancies in Q4. This data indicates that homeworking in Ireland is strongly driven by the pressures of commuting into large metropolitan centres.

With unemployment likely to remain under 5%, a competitive market for talent is set to continue in 2024. More companies are expected to take a skills-based hiring approach, looking beyond traditional markers such as years of experience or qualifications in evaluating candidates and screens for specific competencies most applicable to the vacancy.

Sam Dooley, country director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs, said: “With a competitive environment for talent likely to continue this year, we expect more employers to take a skills-based approach to hiring potential talent over the coming months. By looking beyond traditional measures, such as years of experience in screening candidates and focusing on the skills that are most relevant to the role, employers can secure the right talent to grow and evolve with their business.”

TechCentral Reporters

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