Job vacancies across Talent Acquisition and Human Resources (HR) saw an unprecedented 420% year-on-year increase in Q4 2021, according to the latest IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index.
“2021 was a particularly busy year for recruitment and we anticipate this trend will continue in 2022,” said Orla Moran, General Manager of IrishJobs.ie.
“It is perhaps telling that some of the most pronounced growth is in the recruitment, retention and HR space. This suggests that employers are acutely aware of how competitive the talent market is and are moving quickly to put the necessary internal resources in place to support and advance their recruitment and retention ambitions in 2022.”
Vacancies exceeding pre-pandemic levels
Overall, job vacancies in Ireland were +86% higher in Q4 2021 than the same period in 2020 and 43% higher than pre-pandemic levels (Q4 2019 data), according to the latest IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index.
Of the 30 sectors analysed by the IrishJobs.ie, 25 posted quarterly increases in vacancy generation and 22 surpassed their pre-Covid rate.
Sectoral breakdown
In addition to the accelerated demand for talent acquisition and HR professionals, some of the sectors most negatively impacted by Covid-19 rebounded strongly in Q4, including Tourism, Travel and Airlines (+4,886% YoY and +80% versus pre-Pandemic) and Construction, Architecture and Property (+110% YoY and +75% versus pre-Pandemic).
Other sectors to experience strong growth include Sales (+283% YoY and +99% vs pre-pandemic levels), Environment, Health, and Safety (+147% YoY and +55% pre-pandemic levels), Legal Profession (+145% YoY and +10% vs pre-pandemic levels), Accountancy and Finance (+120% YoY and +34% pre-pandemic levels), and Medical Professionals & Healthcare(+50% YoY and 235% on pre-pPandemic levels).
Remote working and county increases
All 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland recorded year-on-year Q4 growth, with Dublin (+97% YoY), Galway (+93%), Cork (+57%) and Limerick (+20%) all seeing strong double-digit growth, versus Q4 2021. Notably, Limerick was the only county with a large urban population to see quarter-on-quarter growth, increasing by 13% versus Q3 2021.
Fully remote work vacancies increased by a modest +4% year-on-year. The plateau in the growth of ‘remote working’ roles suggests that employers believe the traditional office environment still has an important role to play in the workplace ecosystem.
“Remote and hybrid-working trends been a reoccurring talking point over the last 12 months,” says Moran. “Fully remote vacancies continue to grow as a category, but the rate of growth appears to have plateaued in recent months.
“This possibly suggests that while many employers are very supportive of remote working strategies in the short to medium term, there is still a reluctance to 100% commit to it on a permanent basis, until there is a greater understanding of its long-term impact on working cultures and productivity.”
“However, flexible working has become a more in-demand option for job seekers since the onset of the pandemic, therefore it may become a requirement for those looking to attract the best talent.”
Insight
Commenting on the trends for the year ahead, Moran added:
“As we look towards 2022, the recruitment landscape is shaping up to be a strong, candidate led market; a trend that will continue to dominate the recruitment space in line with the continued lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the progressive reopening of the economy.
“According to the latest CSO figures*, the number of people in employment in Q3 2021 was up 10% year-on-year. More importantly, the world of work has undergone unprecedented change in the last two years, and typically, it is HR departments that are being tasked with managing this change, including the development of remote- and hybrid-working policies and logistics, employee engagement programmes and new remote onboarding and internal training processes.
“Underlying these new challenges and ways of working is the constant goal of maintaining organisational performance and keeping your best people. The increase in HR and talent acquisition roles that we’ve seen in recent months is a clear reflection of the strategic priorities shared by many Irish-based employers as we enter the New Year. In other words, there is a clear recognition on the part of employers that candidates are sitting firmly in the driving seat for 2022.
“The war on talent is only set to intensify. For employers who are looking to maintain a competitive edge in the market for the year ahead, they must therefore ensure that they are meeting the evolving needs of existing employees and prospective candidates within their field.”