A new report from ManpowerGroup in Ireland indicates that 55 percent of tech firms will recruit between April and June, creating more opportunities for foreign skilled workers to work onsite or remotely.
This comes with recent announcements of job losses at major firms such as TikTok and Meta.
The survey also indicates strong hiring intentions in the financial sector, as well as in industries related to engineering, construction, and manufacturing. These areas, alongside the tech sector, are expected to see the highest levels of recruitment in the next quarter.
“Unemployment is at a 25-year low. The tech sector is reporting an appetite for growth like no other,” Edgar said.
“Following the post-pandemic scramble for talent, which resulted in over-hiring and a long stretch of hiring freezes, the sector has now stabilised in a strong position to grow sustainably.”
Johnny Edgar of Manpower Group, Ireland, has noted that while Meta’s recent decision to reduce its global workforce by around 5 percent has sparked discussion, the move is performance-driven. The company intends to fill these positions again later in the year, he explained, underscoring the fluid nature of employment trends in the sector.
He, however, noted that the demand for IT and engineering skills is outpacing the number of available candidates.
Despite concerns over job cuts at high-profile tech companies, industry experts have now urged for a broader perspective.
“TikTok’s reductions are concentrated on a specific business unit, which reflects a change in the company’s strategy rather than a decline in overall appetite for growth,” he said.
“Employers in the tech sector have the strongest appetite to hire new staff to grow their businesses, despite recent high-profile job cuts in the industry. However, a record skills shortage is hindering recruiters in their efforts to hire”, he noted.
Advice for employers
Meanwhile, ManpowerGroup has found that a record 83 percent of all businesses are reporting difficulty finding candidates with the right skills.
According to the report, there is an increase in the demand for skills relating to AI, cybersecurity and data specialists.
Employers across the country report that IT and data skills are the most difficult to find, followed by expertise in operations, logistics, and engineering.
ManpowerGroup Ireland has therefore advised businesses looking to recruit to adopt a broad range of talent attraction strategies to address these shortages.
In addressing the skills shortage, Edgar advised employers who want to meet their skills needs, and also thrive in 2025 cannot afford to wait for ready-made candidates to walk through the door.
He, therefore, advised employers to focus less on the traditional requirements which stifle the hiring process, such as requirements of past job titles and “arbitrary” years of experience.
He believes employers should instead focus on hiring candidates with transferable skills and potential who need a bit of upskilling to become the right fit.
“The only way out of this talent shortage is through investment in skills.”
Ireland’s employment outlook holds steady as IT skills shortage persists
Ireland’s national net employment outlook for the second quarter of the year remains at 25 percent, which is unchanged from the previous quarter, according to the latest figures.
The employment outlook survey is based on responses from 420 employers who assess hiring decisions as well as the factors influencing workforce expansion or reduction.
The net employment outlook represents the percentage of employers expecting to increase hiring minus those anticipating a decline.
In Dublin, Irelands IT sector, this figure stands slightly higher at 28 percent.
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