by Rory Walsh | Dec 13, 2017 | Cork, Economy, General Interest, IT, Work Life
Seven in ten tech professionals move to Cork for career opportunities – new survey shows 80% of respondents say work/life balance has improved Disposable income has increased for 72% of respondents A new survey has found that highly-skilled tech professionals from all over the world are moving to Cork for a better quality of life, career opportunities, shorter commutes and lower living costs. The Cork Tech Talent Relocation Survey, released today (Wednesday, December 13) was carried out by National Recruitment & HR Services Group Collins McNicholas in conjunction with Cork Chamber, IDA Ireland and Cork City Council. The report included responses from workers of 27 different nationalities with two-thirds having relocated to Cork during the last two years. Respondents relocated from countries such as China, the US, South Africa, France, Egypt and the Netherlands. Fast becoming an international high-tech hub, Cork is attracting a large number of foreign and indigenous tech start-ups – 84% of respondents to the survey currently work in the city’s buoyant IT sector. More than 85% of those surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their relocation. And 80% say they now have a better balance between their work and home lives. Some 85% now have a commute to work of less than 40 minutes and 78% said they did not consider it difficult to find a job in Cork. Interestingly, while 27% of those who moved back were originally from Ireland, some 73% relocated from outside of Ireland. When asked about the factors which influenced their move to Cork, 73% cited a better quality of life while 72% referenced a reduced cost of living. The other main reasons given were: lower property prices, less traffic, career opportunities, beautiful scenery and a safer environment. Among the survey’s other key findings were: 64% have experienced an increase in salary since moving to Cork 67% of respondents have since bought property in Cork or are considering it Cork attracts highly-skilled professionals with 89% holding a third-level qualification 42% of those hold Post Grads with another 4% having PhDs or doctorates Almost a quarter said their disposable income had increased by 20% or more since moving to Cork with 48% saying the increase had been between zero and 20% Since relocating to Cork, 35% or respondents said they’d attained a more senior role. Rory Walsh, Collins McNicholas, Cork Regional Manager, said: “The Cork region is experiencing a surge in the number of international professionals who are moving to the region for the work life balance that both the culture and economic environment can facilitate. “Many expanding global organisations and indigenous companies are offering competitive salaries and interesting projects while the region also provides an unrivalled local charm and thriving social scene.” Seamus Coghlan, Cork City Council, Head of Economic Development, said: “Cork is seeing an unprecedented level of city centre development, driven by the private sector. “The draft National Planning Framework (NPF) has acknowledged the role of cities as drivers of economic development. Cork, as the second largest city in Ireland, is well placed to take advantage of this, leveraging existing strengths and economic successes especially in FDI in the Life Sciences, ICT and internationally traded services sectors.” Ray O’Connor, IDA Regional Manager South West, said: “Over the last seven years, Cork has seen consistent growth in the numbers gaining employment across international companies – an increase of 11,500 people since 2009. “A University City with over 30,000 full and part time students across several colleges; strong established industry clusters; an expanding international airport on its doorstep; a cosmopolitan city with a rich mix of different nationalities; a rich heritage and history; and a great quality of life – these are some of the factors that have attracted both international companies and people with skills and talent to the area.” Conor Healy, CEO, Cork Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is the most exciting time in recent Cork history in terms of growth, opportunities and potential. Cork currently has the highest level of job creation in the country. “There are significant opportunities where people can build a career and move across various companies within strong clusters such as ICT, life sciences, energy, marine, agri-food, tourism and financial services.” To read the full report, please click here....Read More
by admin | Jul 19, 2017 | Economy, General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Recruitment
Collins McNicholas has seen a 6% growth in registered job vacancies in the first half of 2017 compared with the first half of 2016. The number of candidates registered with Collins McNicholas is up by 24% in the same period. The growth in jobs shows a buoyant job market with candidates willing to switch jobs to take advantage of more promising opportunities. Collins McNicholas opened its Limerick office in February this year and that has partly contributed to the increase in candidates. However, candidates have more confidence in the job market now and they are seeing lots of opportunities out there. The unemployment rate for June 2017 was 6.3%, down from 6.7% in January 2017 and down from 8.3% in June 2016. The government expects the unemployment rate to fall below 5% next year. Brexit offers both a challenge and an opportunity with more companies in the UK considering relocating to Ireland. Foreign investment has continued to grow and IDA Ireland has reported a comparable financial investment from FDI as in 2016 but with a greater number of jobs being created. Job announcements from FDI approvals have risen from 9,000 in the first half of 2016 to 11,000 in 2017. Announcements from Microsoft of 600 jobs, and Zendesk of 500, show the demand for technology professionals is still growing strong. Financial services and life sciences continue to perform well – Northern trust announced 400 jobs for its Limerick office and MSD announced 330 jobs for its Carlow and Cork sites. Niall Murray, Managing Director of Collins McNicholas, commented on the labour market by saying, ‘it has been a very...Read More
by David Fitzgibbon | Jul 6, 2017 | Economy, General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Work Life
Half of all professionals move to Mid-West for career opportunities – new survey shows 93% of respondents happy with their relocation Seven out of ten have a quicker commute – with almost two-thirds under 20 minutes A better quality of life, career opportunities, shorter commutes, less traffic, and lower property prices and living costs – these are the main reasons why highly-skilled professionals say they have made the move to the Mid-West. The Mid-West Relocation Survey, which is being launched in Limerick this morning, reveals that the Mid-West is fast becoming a destination of choice for top talent. The survey was carried out by National Recruitment & HR Services Group Collins McNicholas, in conjunction with Limerick Chamber. Collins McNicholas opened a Limerick office to service the Mid-West region in February of this year. More than 93% of those surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their relocation. Almost three-quarters (72%) say they now have a better balance between their working and home lives. Some 70% now have a quicker commute to work since relocating to the Mid-West – with nine out of ten people having a commute that is less than 40 minutes. Some 61% now have a commute of less than 20 minutes. Interestingly while 45% of those who moved back were originally from the Mid-West region, some 42% relocated from outside of Ireland. When asked about the factors which influenced their move to the Mid-West, 88% cited a better quality of life while two-thirds referenced a reduced cost of living. The other main reasons given were: lower property...Read More
by Niall Murray | Apr 4, 2017 | Economy, General Interest, Industry, Irish Market, Jobs in Ireland
Collins McNicholas has seen a 9% growth in registered job vacancies in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the first quarter of 2016. The number of candidates registering with Collins McNicholas has increased by 1% in the same period. The unemployment rate for February 2017 was 6.6%, down from 6.7% in January 2017 and down from 8.4% in February 2016. As the unemployment rate declines, we are seeing a tightening in the labour market and increased demand for certain types of skills. The biopharma, medtech and software sectors continue to grow and there is increased demand for engineering, science, data analytics and software development skills within these sectors. It is encouraging to see the growth of the Coder Dojo movement and the increased applications in the STEM subjects at third level, positioning Ireland to take advantage of the expected growth in these sectors globally where the competitive advantage is centred on access to talent. The short to medium term outlook for the Irish economy is good. The ESRI forecasts GDP growth of 3.8% in 2017 and 3.6% in 2018, with a corresponding fall in the unemployment rate to 6.4% by the end of 2017 and 5.6% by the end of 2018. Although Brexit will likely have some negative impact on trade, the economic outlook for Ireland’s principal trading partners looks positive in the short to medium term. Domestic factors are playing a more important role in economic growth with a resurgent construction sector expected to be a significant driver of this growth as the housing shortage is addressed. Ireland continues to attract international investment and this year has...Read More
by Niall Murray | Jan 16, 2017 | Economy, General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Recruitment
2016 was another good year for job growth in Ireland. Over the course of the year, unemployment dropped from 8.9% to 7.2%, to reach an eight year low. Foreign Investment IDA Ireland companies performed very well in 2016, with employment by overseas companies almost reaching the 200,000 mark. These companies created just under 19,000 jobs and had the lowest level of job losses in 19 years, giving them a net job increase of 11,842 jobs in 2016. More importantly, every region of the country experienced a net job increase. It is vital that more jobs are created outside of the main urban centres. Dublin has enjoyed strong job growth for a few years but economic recovery has been slower to arrive to the more rural parts of the country. This makes the net job increase in each region by IDA companies particularly significant. International services, financial services, pharmaceuticals and medical devices were all cited by IDA Ireland as sectors that provided robust job growth. Collins McNicholas Director Michelle Murphy emphasised the importance of the projects happening outside of Dublin, particularly in the West: ‘We are seeing more large scale investment in regional locations. Companies such as Zeltiq and Siteminder, both of whom invested in Galway this year, are realising the depth of talent that is available throughout the country. The quality of the workforce, combined with lower overall costs, makes these locations attractive to multinationals investing in Ireland, and in the process generate vital regional employment.’ Migration Ireland has experienced net inward migration for the first time since 2009. Irish nationals, however, continue to experience net outward migration, but...Read More
by Davin Ferguson | Nov 9, 2016 | Economy, Entrepreneurship, Event
My colleague Ita Hodder & I attended the Invest4success event in Croke Park last Thursday afternoon on behalf of Collins McNicholas. The event was a great success, showcasing some of the established and upcoming businesses in the upper Shannon Erne region. There were representations from businesses in counties Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon & Longford all discussing the potential for investors, partnerships and employment opportunities in the region. Basing the event in Dublin offered an opportunity to reach a wider audience and in particular the diaspora living outside the area. The event was well attended and we heard some very positive presentations from Abbott Diagnostics, Vistamed and Cora Systems, who spoke of their commitment to the region and their continued growth. Some of the other businesses exhibiting on the day included; ATA Group, Masonite, Merenda, Obelisk, Prior medical and Lakeland Dairies. For employment opportunities many companies discussed the values of what working in the regions can offer. This includes shorter commuting times, affordable housing, access to schools, strong communities and all round better quality of life. This was reinforced by some of the local tourism initiatives we heard about such as the Blueways project by Waterways Ireland, highlighting the excellent recreational activities available in the region. Overall the region plans to create almost 2,000 jobs in the next few years across a number of sectors which will have a significant impact on the area. It was great to see such a positive message being construed across the board from the larger multinationals to the smaller start-ups. If you are interested in hearing about specific employment opportunities in the region please contact me...Read More
