the technology job market in 2021 Ireland

Recruitment Series: What Can We Expect From 2021?

When we put together the last Recruitment Series Forecast, we had no idea what was around the corner for 2020!

However, speaking with Senior Recruitment Consultant, Tom Leonard, we still predicted a high volume of cybersecurity and cloud experts – which still held true.

And because we’ve grown the industries that we, as Recruitment Specialists, now work with, we have definitely seen a big spike in Pharma, BioScience and MedTech roles over the course of the year.

Not just because of the pandemic, but also because Ireland is one of the largest employers for these industries in Europe and it is very much a high-growth area.

So, with 2021 on the horizon, what can we (most likely!) expect from the New Year? What roles have been in high demand over the course of the year and what do we still need?

In this feature, Tom returns to shed some light on these questions and more.

 

2020 wasn’t quite what we expected – however, you said cloud and cyber security experts were going to be very much in need – was this the case?

“What a strange year it’s been! It is not the year that we expected or that I was talking about this time last year. We were expecting a much more normal year for sure and of course, Covid has had a major impact, we can’t ignore that.

Firstly, what roles are needed right now and in 2021? We’ve certainly more roles in the areas that we predicted last year including cloud technologies, DevOps, automation and cybersecurity. And the great news is, despite Covid, broadly speaking the technology sector hasn’t quite suffered as much. We have seen a lot of roles coming through and a decent amount of movement in the market.

We have, however, seen a little more reticence in people to move roles which is a repercussion of the added anxiety and lack of security that people are feeling at the moment.

But all of that said, what are we expecting to see over the next year? I think we will see largely the same types of roles coming through as we have over the course of 2020. Many businesses want to expand and migrate a lot of their processes and applications into the cloud and this is going to continue over the course of 2021. Cybersecurity in particular with the amount of growth we have seen online – there has been a major acceleration of online shopping and online services and we will see an increase in subscription services and that in turn brings with it more roles and more opportunities with the big digital companies and those large online players who are feeding into those.”

 

What MedTech and Pharma roles are needed right now?

“So, to our growing division of MedTech and Pharma. Within technology recruitment we have been working with a large number of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies for a long time now.

24 of the 25 largest, leading pharmaceutical and biotech organisations have operations here in Ireland, in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Sligo, Galway, Athlone and all around the country – all helping to give people that flexibility in terms of opportunities and where they want to work.

And a lot of these names are becoming more familiar to a wider audience right now due to the developments in vaccines.

However, Covid aside, these organisations are normally very busy generating new and innovative treatments for those with long-term illnesses and acute conditions. And due to the continual development in technologies surrounding this area, there are always new projects and new roles on the horizon in these areas. The range of roles is vast and what we’re commonly seeing at the moment are jobs in bio process engineering, including upstream and downstream processing, roles in quality assurance, compliance, research and development, diagnostics, test manufacturing – and many more.”

 

Will these sorts of roles continue to be needed once covid has passed?

“Of course, many of these organisations have invested a significant amount of time and resources into the fight against Covid-19. However, the roles that I have just listed, existed long before covid and will continue to exist long after.”

 

What technical skills are in short supply right now?

“Many of the Bio-Pharma companies are looking for quality and assurance specialists, especially as a few of them have been expanding so much recently. Engineers and those working in R&D are also in need on top of everyone who supports these functions including roles in sales and marketing. So, there is definitely a huge amount of opportunity in these areas around Ireland.”

 

Any advice for anyone looking for a job at the moment?

“Even though we have seen a significant impact from Covid this year and we may continue to do so into next year, the technology sector has been heavily invested in and continues to be buoyant. So, if you are looking to move into a new role in 2021, just get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to help you reach your career goals.”

 

Find out more

As Tom says, please do just get in touch, send us your CV and let us help you make your next career move!

Phone: (+353) 1890 911 211
Email: info@itcontracting.ie
Or you can send us your CV.

Recruitment