IT Jobs Market 2021

W1siziisijiwmjevmdevmtmvmtmvndgvndgvmzezzta1nwytnwflzs00ntc3ltllytmtzmfmztixmmy0ntgxl0luiepvynmgmi5wbmcixsxbinailcj0ahvtyiisijywmhgzmdbcdtawm2mixv0

2020 was an interesting year for Ireland’s IT jobs market with the initial impact of Covid causing some companies to reassess their recruitment practices - either pausing or freezing completely. However, most sectors have bounced back since March and we even saw some companies take advantage of a less competitive market and increased their hiring plans. In 2021, we expect to see a release of this “pent-up demand” for candidates as businesses begin to move back towards BAU models.

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation projects that typically would have taken years to plan happened practically overnight or over a few weeks as COVID-19 restrictions forced companies to speed up their digital adaptions in what became an “adapt or die” environment. 2021 will see a further increase in demand for individuals with digital transformation experience as companies accelerate further the digitisation of their customer and supply chain interactions and of their internal operations.

Companies who failed to innovate or tweak their processes to suit the demand of the market felt a larger impact than companies who remained agile and changed quickly depending on the market demands. Consumers have moved dramatically toward online channels during the pandemic, so companies are having to create digital or digitally enhanced offerings in response.

Cybersecurity

Unsurprisingly with the adoption of remote work and the planning for transition to the next “normal”, we have seen huge demand for infrastructure and security professionals which we foresee continuing in 2021. As organisations pivoted to work from home models, security engineers rushed to establish secure connections and prevent network threats that targeted remote workers. At the same time, with the surge in online shopping and e-commerce transactions, they had to bolster their organisation’s e-commerce platforms.

2021 will see organisations continue to increase their spend on cybersecurity as companies look to how they will operate in a post-pandemic world. With many organisations such as Google planning for a “Hybrid” work-from-home model, i.e. employees working a few days in the office and a few at home, network security will be a priority.

MedTech, Life Sciences and Healthcare

Given how health has never been more in focus than it has been in the past year, it is perhaps no surprise that there has been a huge demand for IT professionals in the wider health industry.

MedTech and Life Sciences companies are continually developing new and innovative treatments and consequentially developing technologies to enable this. We have seen an increase in demand of more “hybrid roles” such as IT professionals with experience working specifically within class 1 medical devices fields. Biotech and digital transformation within gene cell therapy in particular is set to be a large growth area for 2021.

Connected health is set to be a large growth area for 2021 also, as medical practices are forced to digitize and with telehealth being forecast to grow exponentially.

Candidate-led Market

Despite the initial dip in March 2020, the market very much remains candidate driven. Particularly now as candidates are no longer bound to jobs within commuting distance of the office.

Regional talent pools have flourished as candidates who would have worked in major cities, now have the opportunity to work remotely meaning they can move to their preferred location and still do the same job on the same salary as before. Regional companies also benefited as they are now able to tap into larger talent pools due to remote working practices.

Perhaps what has been most surprising about 2020, is that salaries have stayed relatively stable, but candidates have been seeking increases in their packages over base. With the increase in remote working opportunities, candidates are no longer distracted by “bells and whistles” (free food, ping pong tables etc.) and instead are more interested in actual projects, technologies being used and career growth and progression. Therefore, our advice to employers is consider how you are marketing your positions.

Contractors

We saw in our 2020 Q3 survey findings that many businesses looked to Contractors to fill gaps in their teams while coping with the uncertainty in the market due to COVID-19. From recent discussions with our clients this trend is likely to continue in 2021. We particularly foresee an increase in demand of contract roles for Frontend/Fullstack Developers, DevOps Engineers and Data Analysts.

As a result of the increase in demand, contract rates have been on the rise. With many large and SME organisations reverting to remote work this has opened the market up to all areas of Ireland. A big trend is seeing Contractors based in the regions now being able to work for the large organisations in the cities and receive the same rates of those based in the cities. Therefore, rates in the regional areas of Ireland have increased due to the remote access of new roles in the industry.

All-in-all, we are optimistic about the IT jobs market in 2021 with plentiful opportunities across digital transformation, cybersecurity, MedTech, pharma etc. The roll-out of the vaccine should increase confidence and create further opportunities as the year progresses.

Download our IT Salary Guide Ireland 2021 (PDF)

Posted by Claire Kelly & Kevin Hearns on 13 January 2021

Related Content

W1siziisijiwmjevmduvmtcvmtcvntqvnduvztfkmguxntmty2i2ny00zmzllwixzgetythmzjaznwnhndm2l0fkb2jlu3rvy2tfmzawmty3mtyylmpwzwcixsxbinailcj0ahvtyiisijqwmhgynjajil1d

High Touch Leadership in the Low Touch Economy

As restrictions lift and choice of workplace emerges, how we lead our distributed workforce needs to be geared differently to ensure equity amongst our workforce. Watch back this session on the emerging thinking and practices to ensure high touch leadership for low touch work. This session was run by France Ireland Chamber of Commerce, moderated by Michelle Fogarty (COO, Peptalk), and welcomed Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig (Founder Talent Summit and COO Sigmar Recruitment) and Aine Murray (Head of Marketing, Communications, CR & Bid Support, Veolia).

W1siziisijiwmjevmdqvmdcvmdavnduvmzmvmzg4ytnmmzetyjq3ni00nwzhlthiyjqtn2yyogvlmwm1ymjilzawmdzmzmyxltk5mc5qcgcixsxbinailcj0ahvtyiisijqwmhgynjajil1d

Post-Covid US trade mission planned for April 2022

By Adam Maguire Business Journalist, RTE View Original Article on RTE Business group Ireland Gateway to Europe has announced plans for a post-Covid trade mission to the US next year. The mission is scheduled to take place in April 2022, focused mainly on Boston and Chicago. It will seek to encourage US firms to invest in Ireland, while also helping Irish companies that are looking to get a foothold in the American market. As travel options are currently limited, IGTE is also planning two further virtual events for later this year. However Adie McGennis, founder of IGTE and CEO of Sigmar Recruitment, said those online functions did not have the same draw as an in-person trade mission. "Obviously the Irish-US relationship has been really strong over the years so I think meeting in person certainly excites a number of our members over here, and importantly a lot of the people we'll be meeting over there too," he said. IGTE was established in 2012 and has hosted a number of trade missions already - mainly to US cities, but also some to London. Mr McGennis said that, over the years, they had developed particularly strong links in Chicago and Boston, which is why the mission will focus on those cities. "Particularly the relationships with Notre Dame and Boston College has been really strong, the access they give to politicians, to businesspeople, to the Irish community over there, has been immense," he said. "Chicago and Boston will form the core of it, though we may tag on one more city." Certain US cities are synonymous with specific sectors - for example San Francisco’s connection to tech and New York’s link to finance - however Mr McGennis said there was no particular type of company they were looking to connect with for the Boston/Chicago trip. He said there were some areas where the cities are having particular success, but that did not mean firms from other industries were not welcome. "We're pretty open," he said. "The east coast, particularly around the Boston area, is synonymous with medical devices and pharmaceuticals… but also tech around the Boston area and the east coast generally, has been huge for Ireland for the last couple of years. "Chicago has got quite a mix… so we’re pretty agnostic as to the nature of the business." Recently the Biden Administration has pushed forward with plans for a 21% corporation tax on US multinationals' foreign earnings - which some argue would undermine the attractiveness of Ireland’s 12.5% rate. Mr McGennis said it was not clear what impact that would have on companies’ interest in Ireland, but he was confident that there were a number of factors that made the country attractive to US firms. "The simple answer is that we don’t quite know how the 21% is going to pan out," he said. "If it does prove to be a challenge, and there have been challenges in the past, all the more reason to go over. "Our strong argument for years is that US companies have set up deep roots in Ireland and it definitely was not all about tax; the talent, the quality of life, the EU access right now post-Brexit - have become a lot more important issues." He also said that, while the Biden plan could be a challenge for Ireland, the new administration there was generally felt to be a positive for the country. "A lot of Joe Biden’s administration we hope to be participants in some of our events, because they’re certainly embracing the whole Irish-US relationship on various different fronts," he said.

W1siziisijiwmjevmdmvmdqvmtkvmdivmzuvztfhztvhmgmtmdq5nc00ogfllweynditzjcynte5oge5mguyl1jvyiaxlkpqryjdlfsiccisinrodw1iiiwindawedi2mcmixv0

SURVEY: Just one third of Workers to Return to the Office Full-time Post-Covid

According to the Sigmar/AON Pulse Report on the future of work post-Covid, just 34% of workers will be returning to the office on a full-time basis once Covid restrictions are permanently lifted. 22% of employees are expected to work full-time remotely with the remaining 44% to work hybrid between home and the office. Of this hybrid cohort, 92% will spend three days or less in the office. The Sigmar/AON survey polled 253 companies in Ireland to get insight into the future of work practices post-Covid. Commenting on the findings Talent Summit founder and Sigmar chief commercial officer Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “Recent speculation about the future of work has seen a division in thought between commentators and experts regarding the role the office will play in working practices post-Covid. With this poll, we have real insight into how employers are planning for the world of work once restrictions are lifted. The reality is that two thirds of Ireland’s workforce will see permanent changes in their work practices. That is a massive shift that affects the majority of us.” Remote Working to Spark a Global War for Talent The Sigmar/ AON survey finds that 22% of employees will work full-time remotely. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: “Remote work is the emerging front of a world war for talent, being fought virtually and our remote workers the spoils of this war. “Ireland is globally recognised as an epicentre of highly skilled and educated workers, making this cohort of employees an attractive proposition for employers from around the world. “There is now global competition for local talent, requiring an arsenal of new methods and systems to compete, as it’s more about hearts and minds than before. “International competition of this cohort of workers will be fierce, effectively opening up a whole world in which 22% of our workforce can work.” The Future is Hybrid 44% of Ireland’s workforce will work hybrid between office and home. 92% will work three or less days in the office. The reality is that many of us will work hybrid between the office and home. Last year we were challenged by the forced dislocation of the workforce from the workplace. This year, however, we will choose how, by whom and where work gets done, which requires deep consideration as we re-architect work over the coming months. This is a critical moment in time for the next generation of work. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: “ “According to this survey the future is hybrid.”

W1siziisijiwmjevmdmvmdevmtivmzmvmjkvyzllmwq2ngytyjy5zc00ytgzlwezn2qty2yzyjywowvjmme2l0fkb2jlu3rvy2tfnda4mdkynzuxlmpwzwcixsxbinailcj0ahvtyiisijqwmhgynjajil1d

Return to the Workplace (RTÉ The Business- Radio Interview)

There's been a lot of speculation about how workplaces will change because of Covid. A workplace survey by Sigmar Recruitment and Aon has findings from 250 companies on whether we will return to the office full time. Robert Mac Giolla Phadraig MacGiolla Phádraig, CCO of Sigmar Recruitment and founder of the Talent Summit and Laura Phelan, occupational psychologist and MD at Aon talk to RTÉ's the Business. Listen Now - https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21915388