Employment in County Wicklow expected to grow 5pc this year
EMPLOYMENT opportunities are expected to grow by five per cent in County Wicklow during the course of 2024, according to leading, locally-based recruitment company, FRS Recruitment. This follows the 7pc growth also recorded in Wicklow for 2023.
The positive outlook for the coming year is in line with FRS Recruitment’s national projections, with 8pc growth also forecast for the country as a whole over the next 12 months. They are anticipating particularly strong demand for accounting, insurance, engineering, science, construction, cybersecurity and social care personnel on a national basis for the coming year.
It is also expected that upward pressure on salaries in Wicklow and the rest of the country will continue over the next 12 months, with the economy at full employment and cost of living challenges still being felt by local employees.
The analysis is included in FRS Recruitment’s 2023 Review & 2024 Trend Forecast report. In total, over the course of 2023, FRS Recruitment advertised a total of 88,964 opportunities nationally. There was also a strong level of response from potential candidates to the openings that came on market, with FRS recording a 32pc rise in the average number of applications received per opportunity.
On a county by county basis, 20 of the 26 counties experienced a decline in job opportunities in 2023. Dublin and all the other main urban areas experienced a drop in the number of roles with Limerick (down 20pc), Cork (down 19pc) and Galway (down 18pc). Proportionately the largest decline was experienced in Monaghan (down 51pc).
Wicklow was one of six counties to buck the national trend and record a rise in the number of opportunities last year.
Speaking about the report and the outlook for the year ahead, Lynne McCormack, General Manager with FRS Recruitment, said: “If 2023 was a year of turbulence in the recruitment market nationally, Wicklow was one of the few counties where a rise in the number of employment opportunities was recorded. Looking ahead to 2024, we fully expect the market in Wicklow to continue to grow and our expectations are that there should also be steady growth across the national market after a challenging 12 months for the recruitment sector.
“It is fair to say that in 2023, on a national level, the market got jittery, certainly in the first half of the year. The large job losses announced by the major tech companies seemed to resonate across the market and across most of the country. This had implications for opportunities coming on stream for multiple industries beyond the IT sector.
“Rising costs relating to energy, supply chain expenses and salaries also impacted on the recruitment outlook as many employers opted to utilise their available workforce rather than going to the market with new openings.
“Thankfully the market recovered in Q3 and was firing strongly again by the end of the year. The signs point to that approach continuing for into 2024.
“The market is already showing significant need for skilled personnel in several sectors. Employers are actively seeking out individuals with qualifications and experience in accounting, insurance, science, engineering, cybersecurity, social care and construction. Such is the pent up demand for this talent we see no shortage of opportunities arising in the next 12 months in Wicklow, especially for those sectors.”
LOCAL Enterprise Office Wicklow are running a course on the effective use of social media for your business.
The aim of the course is to give the participants the skills, tools and knowledge to take their social media activity and success rate to a higher level.
This course is for businesses who understand the basics of social media, are actively engaged in promoting their businesses through social media channels and need to develop their campaigns further.
The course content will involve developing a social media strategy and measuring KPIs, and analysing their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts using free and low costs tools. It will feature an introduction to more advanced features on each channel and provide an understanding of the newsfeed algorithm on each channel and how it impacts content reach.
The online course takes place on Wednesday, February 14, from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The cost of the course is €20 and the trainer will be Sandra Hennessy of Be Dynamic. You can register your place at www. localenterprise.ie/Wicklow/ Training-Events/Online-Bookings/.