Ireland has a greater proportion of hybrid working opportunities than the rest of the EU, according to LinkedIn data.
New LinkedIn data indicates that Ireland has one of the highest shares of hybrid job postings in Europe, second marginally to the UK.
Nearly half (42.2%) of all paid job postings in April on LinkedIn offered hybrid working in Ireland, compared to an average of 33% across EMEA in the same month.
“It’s a case of getting ahead of the curve by ensuring hybrid is an option rather than being left behind in this new world of work”
LinkedIn’s data also revealed a sharp decline in the availability of fully remote roles in Ireland, with only 10.5% of job postings offering remote options in April – down 48.2% year-over-year. Despite the downward trend, Ireland still has one of the largest shares of remote job postings in EMEA and these roles remain fiercely competitive.
Applications to remote roles in Ireland accounted for 18.6% of all job applications, which means remote roles received 1.78x the share of applications compared to jobs available.
It’s now about what workers want
Additional research conducted by Censuswide and based on 1,128 workers in Ireland aged 18+ between 24 and 29 March 2023, commissioned by LinkedIn, revealed that four in ten professionals in Ireland would be put off taking a new role if there was a lack of flexible working options available.
Work life balance is top of mind when it comes to questions that professionals will pose to prospective employers to ensure that a role is the right fit for them. 70% of Irish adults would feel comfortable to ask if a potential employer has any flexibility around the working hours and just over two thirds (67%) would feel comfortable to query if there is any flexibility around the working location.
Family considerations rank highly, with 67% of the research participants prepared to ask a potential boss about their policy for supporting parents, including maternity and paternity leave.
“Our data reflects the growing trend of companies offering hybrid options as a solution to balancing employees’ need for greater flexibility, while at the same time ensuring you don’t lose that element of collective culture and community that is hard to establish with a fully remote workforce,” said Sharon McCooey, country manager at LinkedIn in Ireland.
“With an Irish labour market that is effectively at full employment, giving the option of hybrid can be a crucial factor in attracting the best talent available.
“Our additional research highlights that flexibility is a topic that job applicants are proactively bringing up themselves in interviews, particularly mid to senior level professionals who are more likely to have caring responsibilities. It’s a case of getting ahead of the curve by ensuring hybrid is an option rather than being left behind in this new world of work.”
