There was a 9% quarterly decrease in the number of new job vacancies created on hiring platform IrishJobs in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Manufacturing, IT, finance and science were among the sectors that posted vacancy decreases according to the latest Jobs Index from IrishJobs.
The research shows that the level of hybrid working vacancies remained unchanged, despite several high-profile cases of employers bringing workers back to the office.
The proportion of hybrid working vacancies as a share of total vacancies has remained stable at 10.7% for the second successive quarter.
The platform said that the findings indicate that the hybrid work model will remain a substantial feature of the Irish labour market.
The proportion of fully remote vacancies has fallen by more than 80% since the high recorded in the third quarter of 2022.
The share of fully remote vacancies as a proportion of total vacancies was 2.3% in final quarter of last year, close to its lowest level since 2019.
According to IrishJobs, the findings indicate that fully remote work vacancies will remain stable at a relatively low, near pre-pandemic, level across 2025 and beyond.
The catering sector, which includes jobs in hospitality, accounted for the largest number of vacancies over the past three months.
With management, customer service, health and sales also among the sectors with high numbers of vacancies.
“There has been much focus on return-to-office mandates by large corporates in Ireland and internationally, and IrishJobs data shows fully remote working continues to fall as an employment offering,” said Sam Dooley, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.
“However, our analysis also reveals growing stability in the level of hybrid working vacancies offered by employers in Ireland, indicating this work model is likely to remain a feature of the labour market,” he said.
“With unemployment close to record lows and many employers navigating a highly competitive market for talent, incorporating hybrid working can create a more attractive offering for potential talent,” Mr Dooley said.
“IrishJobs research shows that nearly half of jobseekers would be willing to turn down opportunities that do not provide hybrid or fully remote working options,” he added.
Article Source – Fall in job vacancies but level of hybrid roles remains stable – IrishJobs – RTE
