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1 in 3 of workers in Ireland have NEVER set foot in the workplace as only a quarter now working fulltime in office

Talent Summit Employment Survey 2022 - The Talent Summit Employment Survey 2022 was commissioned by Sigmar Recruitment in partnership with Globalization Partners, the world’s leading global employment platform, as part of Talent Summit 2022. At a glance: 35% of Ireland’s current workforce has never been to the office. Major social/ psychological implications. 26% now full time in office, 30% hybrid, 44% full time remote 81% of employers to recruit in 2022 69% of employers to offer pay rise of 9% in 2022 (while 84% of employees expect pay rise) New Legislation - 53% of workforce can choose where they work. 68% of this population expected to choose to work from home. Says Talent Summit founder and Sigmar CCO, Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig: “The world of work has been in a flux for the past two years, as things begin to settle, the question of workplace remains up for debate as unprecedented levels of churn within the workforce has caused the power to shift from employer to employee. Many people are now choosing to work permanently from home, which in turn is being supported by the new legislation, forcing many employers to soften their rhetoric around returning to the office. Does this work for the employer and employee? Well, I think the remote experiment seems to have worked in the short term at least with full-time remote here to stay, but not at its current level. Hybrid working models are really in their infancy and the employers are facing into uncharted waters when it comes to sustaining individual flexibility for all, as choice around workplace re-emerges. While there are clear benefits to remote work, I don’t think we have enough data or evidence on the impact of long term, deeply individualised, isolated work has on our people and society.” Nick Adams, Vice President, EMEA, Globalization Partners comments, “The past two years have triggered the world’s biggest remote work experiment, and it is changing not just the way we work but the way we hire and onboard talent too. Companies are finding the best talent all over the world and not just on their doorstep. Talent shortages may be a thing of the past: The solution is to go where the talent lives.” ---------------------------- Over 1/3rd (35%) of the current workforce has never set foot inside their place of employment, according to new research carried out on behalf of this week’s Talent Summit conference in Dublin. The Talent Summit Employment Survey 2022 suggests that just 26% of the workforce is currently working fulltime in the office with 44% working full time remotely, and 30% hybrid. The Right to Request Remote Working legislation will have a significant impact in 2022 with 53% of workforce in a position to choose where they work. 68% of this population is expected to choose to work from home. The recruitment market is at the highest it has ever been in the 20-year history of Sigmar Recruitment. 81% of employers will recruit in 2022. Pay is set to be a major issue in 2022 with 84% of employees expecting a pay rise. Employers are open to discussing the issue with 69% of employers agreeing to offer pay rises this year. The average pay rise on offer is 9%. According to Talent Summit founder and Sigmar CCO, Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig, Ireland is at the forefront of the changing work model globally: “As a central hub of some of the world’s most progressive and innovative companies, Ireland is now emerging as home to companies who are at the forefront of moulding, shaping and shifting how, where, when and by whom work is done as we emerge from the pandemic. While remote and hybrid working seems to be working for the employer with just 15% finding it a hindrance, my concern is that we have an entire generation of workers who are missing out on the social and psychological benefits of working in a communal environment with friends and colleagues.” Talent Summit 2022 Employment Survey Highlights Micro-environment - Out of Office 35% of the current workforce were hired since the pandemic and have never been to a physical workplace. Major psychological and social implications. Isolation an issue. Majority of workforce choose full time remote even with offices reopening: 26% full time in office (34% anticipated in 2021) 30% working hybrid ( 44% anticipated in 2021) 44% full time remote (22% anticipated in 2021) 95% of hybrid workforce work 3 days of less in the office – majority choose two days 40% 31% of workforce expected back in office by end of year Sentiment this year is that office space will remain the same. In 2021, 40% expected a reduction. Macro-environment - Talent shortage economy. With the presence of a massive talent shortage economy, pressure is on all fronts; internal retention, external recruitment and costs. Recruitment and retention are the top 2 priorities for HR Leaders - 12 months ago it was wellbeing and employee experience. Hyper competition for talent: This year sees the highest number of employers anticipating adding staff (81%) over past 5 years. Recruitment has gone global: Opportunity now finds talent. 62% have recruited outside of Ireland and 77% are willing to hire wherever talent resides. Labour costs: 69% of employers expect to increase salaries by 9% (highest gross uplift we’ve seen in doing this survey the last 5 years). Employee expectations have soared: 84% anticipate a pay rise compared to 54% in 2021 – leads into a further cycle of attrition. Legal Environment - Right to Request Remote Work With 53% of workforce having control over where they choose to work from highlights the potential threat proposed legislation (in Ireland) to offer the right to work remote may pose. We may in fact be alienating nearly half the working population creating new unintended workplace biases. Employers anticipate that 68% of this population will choose long-term remote working options, which means the proposed legislation applies to 36% of the overall workforce population 68% of workforce expect long-term remote working options. 53% of workforce are expected to be given long-term remote working option. When asked what impact the proposed legislation will have on their organisation, 33% of respondents said it would help, 52% said no-impact and 15% said it would hinder. ABOUT THIS SURVEY The Talent Summit Employment Survey 2022 was commissioned by Sigmar Recruitment in partnership with Globalization Partners, the world’s leading global employment platform as part of Talent Summit 2022. This is the fifth year the study has been conducted, measuring the pulse of Talent Leaders on a range of Talent Topics. The survey ran from 09/02/22 to 12/03/22 with 153 respondents. 63% Senior HR leaders and 37% Business owners/ leaders across all company sizes, sectors and industries. Europe’s largest HR, work and employment conference, Talent Summit 2022 will take place in Dublin’s Convention Centre on Thursday, 24 March, 2022. With 2,000 people in physical attendance, as well as countless set to attend virtually, Talent Summit 2022 will see the largest group of HR leaders to convene in Europe since the pandemic. www.talentsummit.ie

Resignations Surge in September as Offices Re-open

Main Points Q3 record breaking recruitment placement results Highest in 20 years, peaking in September Up 44% for same period in 2020 Job orders in the first half of October are trending higher than any previous single month in company 20-year history The Talent Shortage Economy: Recruitment (for on-site labour and remote skills) is the single biggest threat to the Irish economy War for talent now being fought on two fronts: Battle for Retention internally and the Skills Struggle externally “The Great Return is causing a Mass Exodus. The reopening of offices in September has prompted a new surge in resignations as Ireland now faces a Talent Crisis. Employers are increasingly requesting in-office presence and Employees are voting with their feet..” says Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig, founding director Sigmar Recruitment: Sigmar Recruitment today reports a record high number of job placements for Q3 (July, August, September) 2021, up 44% on the same period 2020. The figures released today top previous results recorded in Q2, 2021, with September recording the best single month ever in the 20-year history of Sigmar. Job orders in the first two weeks in October are trending higher than any single full month in the company’s 20-year history. The first half of the year saw strong, consistent growth with job placements, peaking initially in May. Summer months remained as strong, peaking once more in September. Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig, founding director of Sigmar believes that the request to return to the office in September has caused employees to revolt, as they do not wish to return to pre-pandemic conditions and practices.. Commenting on the tightening of the labour market, Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “Demand for talent has remained at an all-time high for the second quarter in our 20-year history. It was somewhat unusual not to see demand abate over the summer months. Indeed, demand continued to increase over the summer, resulting in September’s record results. The rate of job requests in the first two weeks of October is unprecedented, indicating continued in Q4 and raises the question of the sustainability of talent supply. “Remote working has literally opened up a world of new opportunity no longer bound by location which is creating significant churn in the professional skills market. This last 18 months has seen employees demand greater flexibility. The request to return to the office by employers in September has prompted employees to reconsider whether they recommit or resign. Many are resigning.” Mac Giolla Phádraig likens remote work to long-distance relationships, which in many cases don’t work out. “We’ve gone from “living” with our employees in an office environment to long distance relationships, which often sees commitment recede over time. The context of location also opened up new experiences and possibilities on a scale never before seen. In September, many employers have asked employees to “trial” living together once more, which in some cases leads to a reunion or in others to separation. "Another factor, on the employee side is that of identity and how what we do makes up part of who we are as individuals. “This last 18 months has asked big questions of us all, mainly how our working lives interact with our lives and how we identify with our working lives. In the absence of a workplace we’ve reassessed the balance between who we are and what we do, resulting in lesser commitment to our working selves and therefore to our employers. Employee loyalty has therefore become increasingly under question with many workers are now committed to the experience of work over the employer, adding further to the current levels of churn.” Talent Shortage Economy Recruitment for both the on-site and remote talent remains the single largest threat to the Irish economy. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: ”We are seeing two macro trends converge at once, compounding demand for talent across all sectors – (1) supply of labour and (2)shortage of skills.” The “high touch economy” for on-site labour in sectors such as construction, logistics, retail and hospitality are currently experiencing severe labour shortages. The disruption to international talent supply chains have caused significant bottlenecks to the supply of labour, particularly effecting on-site, lower skilled jobs. On-going travel restrictions and pace vaccine rollout continue to impede immigration globally, but as an island nation we are now seeing the impact of this as demand recovers at pace. The “low-touch economy”, on the other hand, where remote work is viable is experiencing greater churn due to the expansion of opportunity for skilled workers, shift in motivation, identity and desire for flexibility. This is now being experienced more acutely in Ireland as offices re-open and employees now vote with their feet, in choosing to resign over reengaging with employers in many cases. Demand has been particularly strong in IT, Financial Services and Life Sciences. He adds: “If we thought the war for talent was tough, just wait for the battle of attrition. Retaining workers rather than attracting them is now emerging as the number one challenge for businesses across the globe.”