What it’s like to work in Ireland: Irish Employment trends 2017

Ireland’s Census 2016 Summary Results by the CSO states an increase in men and women working in Ireland, an increase in non-nationals working in Ireland and a surge in employment across Healthcare and Computer Related activities. Compared to April 2016 there are now 199,281 more people at work in Ireland, with the number of women at work increasing by 9.0% and the number of men at work growing by 12.8%

Increase in Workplace Diversity

Over the past 15 years there has been a steady increase in the diversity of Ireland’s workers and the number of people employed in Ireland, with a period of rapid growth of 2.1 % per year from 1996 – 2016.

As discussed by Peter Cosgrove in the Cpl Future of Work whitepapers the Irish workplace is diversifying. Diversity in the workplace covers everything from age, sex, ethnicity and race. Since 2011 there has been a notable increase of diversity across these groups, including:

• The number of women working in both the 35 – 44 the 55 – 64 age groups
• The number of men and women working within the 55 – 74 age group
• An increase of 7,165 non-Irish nationals working in Ireland

Another positive to take from the 2016 Census is the narrowing gap between male and female participation in the Irish workplace. In 2016, the difference in rates between males and females was at its lowest ever at 12.7%. Overall Ireland’s workers are more diverse in terms of age, gender and ethnicity than ever before.

Healthcare and IT sectors thriving

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CPL graph of the growth of employment across various sectors.

Compared to April 2011 there has been an overall increase of workers, with 199,281 more people now at work in Ireland. The greatest increase has been seen in the healthcare, computer and computer related activities sectors. Ireland is now a hub for large pharmaceutical companies and a leading provider of pharmaceutical and healthcare products. This is directly reflected in the census figures with Health and Social Work workers showing the largest increase in Ireland, rising by 25,647 people between 2011 and 2016. Ireland is also an attractive location for IT workers and employers, with 9 out of 10 global technology firms basing strategic operations in Ireland. Again, this is reflected in the 2016 census with 63,855 workers now working in the Computer and Related Activities sector – an increase of over 50% since 2011. **  https://www.irishcentral.com/jobs/ireland-s-most-in-demand-job-sectors

Other sectors in Ireland that have displayed growth include:

• Construction which increased by 15,092 workers between 2011 and 2016.
• Hotel and Restaurants sector which saw an increase of 13,372 workers
• Education which grew by 9,234 workers

Of the overall 2,006,641 people at work in April 2016, 84.1% were employees, 15.6% were self-employed and the remainder were working helping relatives.

The CSO Census 2016 Summary Results indicates positive growth in jobs and employment in Ireland. The gender balance is improving, diversity in the workplace is on the rise and we are matching the demand for talent across key sectors such as Computers and IT and Healthcare.

Interested in working in Ireland? To start your Irish job search visit www.irishcentral.com/jobs

For more information visit www.cpl.ie.

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