Rise in Kerry job opportunities despite impact of Covid restrictions
DESPITE a challenging 2020 due to the imposition of Covid-19 and its affect on all sectors of the local economy and tourism, Kerry is one of 12 counties in the Republic of Ireland to record an increase of over seven percent in the number of job opportunities advertised. That’s according to FRS Recruitment, one of the leading recruitment businesses in Ireland.
General Manager of FRS Recruitment, Colin Donnery, said that while 2020 has been challenging for many sections of the economy , Kerry was able to buck the national trend by recording an increase in the number of job postings.
“We would be hopeful that growth should continue over the course of 2021 and that there will be even further opportunities available in Kerry and nationwide as the recruitment environment begins to normalise,” said Mr Donnery.
By sector, the largest drop in opportunities nationally were in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (down 75 percent); the devastation caused to Kerry’s tourism in 2020 is also reflected in the national figure that shows the Hotel and Hospitality down by over 60 percent.
The FRS is predicting 2021 will be a year of ‘ two halves’ in recruitment, but that the overall market should see a strong improvement over the course of the year.
The year will start slowly but the roll-out of the vaccine will bring confidence back to the market and that will create a strong pipeline of employment opportunities as businesses seek extra resources in the second half of the year.
It predicts that there will be demand for healthcare workers in 2021, which is likely to see overseas based candidates come back into the jobs market. There will be continued demand for skilled IT personnel, while other sectors likely to experience a strong increase in demand include roles in construction, life science as well as for temporary commercial and industrial personnel.
Covid is changing the work landscape as more people are now working from home. Initially, this started out as a necessary requirement in order to suppress the spread of the virus.
However, long-term, this may alter the workplace environment and lead to changes in how employees, and employers, decide to work.
Employers will need to grapple with pressure from workers to provide remote work opportunities. It will be a significant challenge to juggle performance management, reduced collaboration, health and safety concerns and the costs of maintaining a hybrid organisation.
FRS is also forecasting pressure on salaries over the course of the year as motivation switches from job security to seeking better conditions.
Another expected change will see a move towards more blended, hybrid roles advertised in 2021, with positions covering a wide range of functions and disciplines as employers seek to cover a number of different gaps in their operations.