Rise in STEM roles for graduates


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The next six weeks will see approximately 70,000 students from around the country graduate from Irish universities and institutes of technology.

Fortunately for these students, graduate roles have never been so plentiful.

We have identified a notable increase in graduate opportunities on offer across several STEM industries this year, with the largest number available in the technology and construction, architecture and property sectors.*
 

TOP FIVE SECTORS

 
The five sectors currently offering the broadest range of graduate-level opportunities are identified as follows:

1. Information Technology
2. Construction, Architecture and Property
3. Accountancy and Finance
4. Engineering and Utilities
5. Science, Pharmaceuticals and Food

The wider construction, architecture and property sector has seen a 42 per cent year-on-year increase in roles; the tech sector showed a 2% per cent increase in roles from a very high baseline in 2017.

Roles for graduates in engineering and utilities, and science, pharmaceuticals and food are also on the up, with an increase of 71 per cent and 55 per cent in the number of roles on offer, respectively.
 

TALENT POOL  

 
Our General Manager, Orla Moran, comments;

“Graduate programmes represent one really attractive way of gaining a well-rounded introduction to the corporate world and its inner workings. One of their key advantages is that they offer a very structured starting point for a young person’s career.

“As the competition for talent ramps up, corporates are investing more in developing programmes that offer both on-the-job and in-classroom training, exposure to multiple strands of the business and opportunities to travel, all with the objective of developing the next generation of management and decision-makers for the organisation.

“As a hub of innovation and technology, Ireland has become a location of choice for businesses, attracting many of the world’s top ICT companies. Eight of the top ten global software companies and all of the top 15 US technology companies have offices in Ireland. These companies require a sizeable pool of talent and are always on the lookout for highly skilled graduates to bring energy and fresh ideas to their teams.

“This increase in construction and engineering roles is reflective of the ongoing demand for housing across Dublin and the major spike in commercial property, new hotels and infrastructural projects already underway. Graduate students entering this sector will be in high demand and this is reflected in the entry salaries on offer.

“The availability of graduate roles across these sectors reflects the old and new strengths of Ireland’s economy. The increase in engineering roles is tied to the skills shortage in construction and the growth in the food sector reflects the innovative attitude that has helped transform some of our traditional agricultural outputs into quality products renowned in markets across the world.

“Overall, employment options for graduates are more plentiful than ever before. Employers recognise the value of taking on a graduate who can bring new ideas and fresh perspective to the table and there are great opportunities for graduates looking to start their careers on the right track.”

*Methodology- Analysis of graduate roles on IrishJobs.ie during the period 1 January 2017 –31 August 2018.