According to new research by Expleo, an engineering, quality services and management consulting company, 85% of organisations in Ireland are embracing digital transformation and using automation today. The research, which was carried out by TechPro among 143 IT decision-makers across Ireland, also found that one-in-five (20pc) of those using automation, say it has resulted in job growth. There is no doubt that digital skills are in-demand in Ireland today, and will be for years to come.
“The internet and information technology sectors still dominate the Irish hiring market,” says Brian McFadden, co-founder and client services director of Recruiters.ie, an Irish recruitment agency for jobs in sales, marketing, technology, finance, HR and business operations. “With little or no decrease compared to 2018, these remain the majority sectors of 2019 that offer permanent roles across large multinationals and Irish SMEs. “We experienced significant growth in the accounting and finance services sector and telecommunications sector, which is also reflective of the hiring trends of our clients in those areas. We saw contingent (aka contracting) work significantly increase within the financial services sector in 2019.”
McFadden says the business services sector and insurance sector hiring remained strong and steady throughout 2019, compared to 2018. “Retail and FMCG sectors dropped off slightly, however we saw significant increases in their inside sales, contact and customer support centres, which remain in-demand hiring zones across a number of sectors in Ireland.” Meanwhile, Ireland’s medical technology (medtech) sector has soared in 2019. Ireland is a global hub for medtech, with nine of the world’s top 10 medtech companies based here. 25% of the world’s diabetic population rely on injection devices made in Ireland. 33% of the world’s contact lenses and 80% of the world’s cardiovascular stents are manufactured in Ireland. So, looking ahead to 2020, what does McFadden predict to be the most in-demand jobs and skills? McFadden says, “Overall and across all sectors, we predict data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) developers, user experience and usability, inside sales, lead generation, marketing technology and automation to be the most in-demand roles in 2020.”
In the event of a disorderly Brexit, McFadden says they foresee a demand for functional project management professionals. “Functional project management focuses on delivering projects outside of core software engineering and applications in the areas of process transformation, for example retail banking, insurance claims and construction projects. We also predict that more and more functional project managers will upskill to become technical project managers. This domain is populated with roles such as product owners, scrum masters, technical product managers, who are often replacing the more traditional roles of software development project managers and programme managers.”
A growing tech economy requires a larger tech workforce, adds McFadden. “In particular, network engineering, IT leadership around cloud strategy and site reliability engineers. With major trends such as 5G, growing mobile commerce and AI increasingly becoming part of our lives, the industry will require more skilled workers across all tech functions, but particularly software engineering (Java/.Net/Python/ Front-end/mobile/C++ developers and engineers). We see a trend of many accomplished software engineers turning to the contracting way of work.”
“Sales is the lifeblood of every organisation across all sectors,” says McFadden. “The growth of inside sales centres, with a career ladder from lead generation executive up to enterprise account managers, means demand for sales professionals is rising, particularly in the tech-sales space and insurance companies.” In addition, early, middle or advanced-stage marketers in any way inclined towards analysis, analytics or proof by numbers are well positioned. “It’s advisable to become more familiar with the tools and systems in use in analysis, CRM, automation and digital, because that is what companies are seeking even to complement traditional non-analytical roles.”
Recruiters.ie predict qualified accountants with between one- and three-years’ experience will be in great demand and short supply. “Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), finance business partners, commercial accountants and commercial finance analysts have all become extremely in-demand roles, due to the need for forecasting and analysis in a data analytics age,” comments McFadden. “However, these roles can fade in a downturn as companies begin to focus on costs and shoring up. Tax remains as buoyant as ever with a lack of supply to meet demand.”
While the most desirable skills will vary from one industry to the next, the ones that virtually every job calls for tend to be the most valuable. “The soft skills we’re seeing in high demand include complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, emotional intelligence, decision making and cognitive flexibility,” says McFadden.
“However, it is especially important that candidates can prove these skills with tangible examples. Take communication skills, for example. Many candidates will put this on their CV, but those who can actually prove their communication skills by discussing presentations they did or stakeholder meetings they attended, are going to stand out to any hiring manager. Equally, being able to show leadership or project management skills will be a great asset as the ever-changing workforce will call for strong, confident people managers.”
For those looking for a new career in the new year, McFadden says the first thing he would advise is self-reflection. “Think about your career so far, the skills and knowledge you’ve gained, not just in terms of technical capabilities or ‘hard skills’, but also how you’ve developed your soft skills. Next, think about what you love about your career and what you feel is missing.” He adds, “Make a wish list. Even if it makes no sense yet, even if you don’t think a role exists in which all your favourite things can come together, it’s important to know what you want your end goal to look like and see how close you can get to that. Choose your job moves wisely, as each move is a stepping stone toward the next one.”
A version of this article first appeared in the Irish Independent on 19 December 2019.
Want to know more about what to expect from the jobs market this year? Check out our definitive guide to jobs here.
2020 photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
