Recruitment agencies are pivotal in the Irish job market, bridging the gap between jobseekers and employers across various sectors. With over 2,000 recruitment agencies operating nationwide, these organisations place over 250,000 jobseekers in permanent and temporary roles annually, highlighting their significant contribution to employment.
As the job market continues to evolve, IrishJobs Recruitment Insights provides recruitment agencies with valuable data on job market trends and in-demand roles, shining a light on the data from corporate employers and providing valuable insights to shape and adapt their recruitment strategies and effectively meet the needs of both employers and jobseekers.
Recruitment Insights
In recent years, recruitment agencies have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability. Following a period of high demand driven by falling unemployment, the pandemic temporarily disrupted recruitment activities as companies paused hiring. However, agencies have bounced back strongly as the economy stabilises, with 2023 marking a record year of over 1.3 million applications received on IrishJobs.
This positive trend continues in 2024 with almost one million applications received in the first seven months already, demonstrating the role agencies play in maintaining the momentum of Ireland’s employment landscape.
Hiring Activity
Since the beginning of 2020, employment has grown by nearly 340,000 (14%) to a record high of 2.7 million people. However, there are signs that this exceptional growth is beginning to cool as Ireland’s economy and labour market are near full capacity. The Irish economy is forecast to grow more but at a more moderate pace through the remainder of 2024 and 2025. This moderation in activity is also reflected in many economic reports such as the Bank of Ireland’s predictions for job growth, which it forecasts to ease back further over the next 12 months, decreasing from 1.7% in 2024 to 1.5% in 2025.
However, the recent increase in overall candidate activity, coupled with enhancements to the job-matching software and application process on IrishJobs, drove an increase in the average Total Applications and Applications per Vacancy (APV) for Agencies in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Total applications increased by 68%, while applications per vacancy saw growth of 25%.
TalentBank – Ireland’s all-island CV database
As soon as you post a job on our platform, our proprietary intuitive StepMATCH technology sends you real-time recommendations pulled from over one million active and passive candidates.
Match with the best: Every time you post a job, our technology recommends candidates whose skills match your needs. With 20 profiles available to you straight away, select your talent and send an Invite to Apply with TalentMail. Get instant access to their contact details and full CV by simply using a TalentBank credit.
Passive and active in one place: TalentBank’s All-Island CV database allows you to connect with candidates who are actively applying for roles, and passive candidates who may be open to offers when the right one comes along. So, you can find the best people for the job, every time.
Powerful filtering tools: Identify your ideal candidates using TalentBank’s filtering tools. There is a range of options available to help you refine your talent pool. Create your talent shortlist by filtering on skills, qualifications, location, previous employers, and recent activity.