Ireland’s hiring rate has begun to decline from the highs hit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, new data has shown.
There has been a steady increase in so-called green skills among the Irish workforce over the past few years, a trend that is expected to rise in support of the low-carbon economy.
The IDA Ireland Labour Market Pulse, produced in partnership with Microsoft and LinkedIn, showed hiring was down 12.7 per cent year-on-year in October. However, it remained more than 6 per cent ahead of pre-pandemic hiring rates.
Employment in Ireland was at a record high of 2.55 million in the second quarter of the year, and was maintained in the third quarter, leaving employment levels at historic highs.
The survey provides an overview of the trends across the Irish labour market, including the rise of green skills among the workforce.
Green talent
According to data from LinkedIn, 13 per cent of members in Ireland are considered “green talent”, up from 9.6 per cent in 2015 and tracking European trends. Among the most popular green skills added on LinkedIn in Ireland last year were sustainability; environmental awareness; renewable energy; environment, health and safety (EHS); and environmental science.
The increase in green talent indicates that companies are putting more focus on sustainability, with new increase driven predominantly by jobs in other sectors with sustainable elements, such as compliance managers or data scientists.
IDA Ireland interim chief executive Mary Buckley welcomed the report’s findings, particularly the increase in the green economy and associated hiring. “Despite uncertainty in the global economy, it’s encouraging to see hiring rates of green talent almost double from 2016 and reflects the importance of sustainability,” she said.
The Irish economy is expected to need to fill more than 20,000 jobs by 2030 to support green economy sectors, equating to 6 per cent of the total forecast labour force growth.
“The ever-growing need to protect the planet is forcing businesses to transform how they operate and to equip their teams with the skills to drive sustainable transformation forward,” said James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland site lead and vice-president of Microsoft International Operations. “With a recent UCC report commissioned by Microsoft Ireland revealing that only 9 per cent of Irish businesses consider themselves truly sustainable, it is reassuring to see the focus on ‘green’ talent in this latest Labour Market Pulse as it will greatly help to accelerate the transition to a net-zero future while harnessing the new business opportunities that the green economy is unlocking.”
