Psychiatrists, emergency medicine specialists, public health medicine specialists, nurses, carers: all are in high demand, and this is likely to continue well into the new year – whether or not there is a recession.
Nora Condon, senior data analyst and assistant manager in the skills and labour market research unit at Solas, the further education and training agency, says that different areas of healthcare have different barriers to recruitment.
“This year there is a shortage of doctors and nurses, and this does require a particular qualification. We also have shortages of healthcare assistants and care workers, and although it’s not as highly skilled one of the barriers to getting work in this area might be a lack of transport in rural areas.”
Graham Cosgrave is director of healthcare recruitment at Match Medics, which recruits doctors for the public and private health sectors in Ireland. About 90 per cent of those recruited are from overseas. “There is a need for experienced doctors, including registrars and consultants,” he says. “This is driven by a shortage of trainees here, and it is not just an issue in Ireland but globally, so we are competing for talent when we pitch to international candidates.”
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Although the healthcare sector does require graduates with specialist medical degrees, there is some scope for retraining. For instance a legal secretary could potentially retrain as a medical secretary, or someone looking to get into healthcare could consider a further education course to work as a healthcare assistant or carer, while Griffith College’s higher certificate in healthcare support practice or advanced healthcare assistant practitioner courses could offer another route into this profession.
Figures from Solas show that over 5,000 employment permits were issued to people in the health sector in 2021, the highest in any sector.
Both Condon and Cosgrave say that the housing crisis is presenting a recruitment challenge, with many health professionals simply unable to afford to find a place to live in various parts of Ireland – even if they can afford it. That said, the area does seem to be somewhat recession-proof as people’s healthcare needs don’t go away in economic tough times.
“As the population becomes larger and ages we see an increase in demand for healthcare interventions,” says Condon. “So that demand for doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants will continue.”