Remote working job ads hit record high
The share of Irish job postings on hiring platform Indeed offering remote or hybrid work rose to a record high at the end of December 2024.
Indeed’s Jobs & Hiring Trends Report found that 17.5% of posting mentioned remote or hybrid, a level that is more than four times that recorded prior to the Covid pandemic.
This is despite some high profile return-to-office mandates at a number of companies and shows that job flexibility remains an important part of recruiting talent in the current tight labour market where unemployment remains well below 5%.
The share of remote or hybrid job postings is highest in areas such as media and communications, insurance and software development.
According to Indeed, posted wage growth was 4.6% year-on-year in December, having been running at 4% or above since the start of 2024. This is above the euro area average of 3.3%.
After peaking at more than double their pre-pandemic level in 2022, overall job postings have gradually declined but remain 19% above the baseline.
“The level of postings has remained relatively stable since mid-2024,” according to Indeed.
The share of searches for Irish jobs on Indeed from outside Ireland averaged 13% over the course of 2024, the highest since 2017.
The occupations receiving the highest shares of foreign interest include agriculture, personal care and home health, civil engineering and physicians and surgeons.
The data shows that engineering, tech, professional and agriculture occupations are among the hardest jobs to fill.
Jobs specifically mentioning generative AI are rare, but growing fast and appearing across a range of occupations including data science and software development.
“Despite global uncertainty, the Irish labour market continues to be resilient and, for now at least, looks on course to remain so in 2025,” said Jack Kennedy, Senior Economist at Indeed and author of the Trends Report.
“For jobseekers, that means they retain leverage when it comes to pay and benefits, as evidenced by robust wage growth and employers continuing to offer flexibility.”
“Both pay and benefits remain important from an employers’ perspective not only in attracting talent but also for retaining existing staff, who may be difficult to replace given the tightness of the market and long-standing skill shortages in certain occupations,” Mr Kennedy said.
“Considering international candidates may be one way forward for employers looking to hire,” he added.
Article Source – Remote working job ads hit record high – Indeed – RTE
