Manufacturing & Engineering Jobs - Market Overview 2019
Thoughts on the Market The manufacturing and engineering Sector in Ireland employs over 200,000 people directly (400,000 indirectly). It is estimated that over 43,000 more people could be working directly in manufacturing in Ireland by 2020. This sector contributes hugely to employment across all skill levels, in all regions throughout the country and across a range of sectors including medical devices, pharma/biopharma, food, ICT/electronics and engineering. Manufacturing plays a crucial role in Ireland’s economy, but it is rapidly changing and becoming more complex meaning a different set of capabilities will be required. In terms of sectors - as a whole, the medical technology industry is estimated to be worth somewhere between €173-193 billion and Ireland is the second biggest exporter of medical technology in Europe with giants like Boston Scientific and Medtronic employing 5,200 and 4,500 respectively in Ireland alone. The main area of expertise lies in the cardiovascular area (Abbott, Medtronic and Boston) but there are a host of orthopaedic (J&J and Stryker) and diagnostic manufacturers such as Beckman Coulter. According to the IDA, Ireland’s MedTech sector manufacturers 50% of ventilators used in acute hospitals worldwide, 33% of the world’s contact lenses and 30 million people with diabetes use Irish-made injectable devices. Advances in science and technology sees the rise of combination products particularly with pharma and ICT. The rise of the “Smart Device” has prompted a significant increase in the demand for niche skillsets. Similarly, to changes within medical device manufacturing, the pharma/biopharma sector has shifted towards healthcare that is tailored to the specific needs of the patient. Targeted therapeutic interventions has led to the growth of innovative delivery mechanisms, niche products targeting specific or rare illness/diseases and an increase in biologics. Ireland is also a host to a number of global players in the ICT manufacturing sector including Intel, Dell, TE Connectivity, Analog Devices and Valeo. Growth opportunities are in systems integration and R&D with the creation of the above mentioned “intelligent” devices. These devices are not just limited to medical devices however. ICT permeates almost all sectors. Companies such as Valeo Vision Systems (automotive electronics) in Galway are leading players in the smart technology and machine/deep learning space – self-driving cars being their main area of focus. This sector has a great impact across all businesses with adoption of ICT becoming a necessity for all manufacturing companies. Engineering companies in Ireland (sub-supply and own brand products) serve a range of markets including the med-tech, pharma/biopharma, ICT as well as engineering industrial products, products for the aerospace industry, agricultural equipment, plant and machinery.in the demand for niche skillsets. The Irish start-up scene continues to gain momentum with interesting new inventions particularly incorporating the use of artificial intelligence. Sonarc is a company developing the world’s first commercially viable speaker with no moving parts. Coroflo claims to have developed the world’s first accurate breastfeeding monitor. EnteraSense has developed a capsule that can be ingested by patients after surgery to monitor for any subsequent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Kite Medical has created a novel device for detecting kidney reflux in children. Salaries In 2019 Salaries have been increasing across the sector, particularly for junior engineers entering the workforce. It remains a candidate driven market with highly skilled engineers holding a lot of the power on their side at the negotiating table. Where employers struggle with internal equity and capped salary bands, they are paying more attention to their benefits, offering flexible working options. These options include remote working, flexi-time, reduced working hours, more appealing healthcare packages/pension schemes, extra days annual leave, bonuses and stock/share options. Top Tip for 2019 The modern engineer needs more than a technical skillset to succeed. Engineers need to have an array of soft skills such as team work, communication, critical thinking etc. These soft skills will make you stand out from the crowd. Looking for a manufacturing and engineering job? Check out our latest jobs here
