Digital jobs market will be worth €120m in 2011

17 Feb 2011

Irish marketing talent house Alternatives has announced a new joint venture that aims to tap into the lucrative digital market, providing Irish firms with highly skilled personnel.

Sandra Lawler, managing director of Alternatives, revealed that the digital market will be worth an estimated €120m in 2011. She said their “new research shows that firms will spend more on digital this year than ever before. What they need now is the talent to deliver the potential of this burgeoning area of marketing, and that’s what we will deliver.”

Ed Conmy, a director of Digital Times, will run the new division with Lawler and her team at Alternatives, based at their Dublin city centre offices.

“Fast-paced developments in the digital world are having a major impact on marketing,” Conmy said. “We are responding to market needs – we will help companies (both client and agency side), to recruit the broad spectrum of digital talent that firms need from digital marketers to technologists and developers. We also provide the increasing number of people with digital expertise further opportunity to develop their careers.”

New research reveals insights into job opportunities

The latest results from Alternatives bi-annual Marketing Watch research shows interesting insights into new job opportunities.

Some 32pc of budget holders reported they find it difficult to attract good talent, 60pc stated they use both agencies and internal teams to find new talent, and only 6pc revealed they source marketers themselves.

Digital marketing skills are the most popular skill set employers want in staff in 2011 – 46pc said digital is a fundamental area for employee training, while 33pc stated they believed strategy and planning were important training areas.

Lawler added, “Alternatives celebrates its eleventh year in business this week. Our ambition is always to be ahead of the latest developments in the market. I believe that DigitalTimes@Alternatives reflects that philosophy and we look forward to working with new and existing clients to fulfil their digital marketing talent needs.”

An estimated 9,000 to 10,000 digital-related jobs have been predicted for Ireland in 2011 as a direct result of foreign investment. IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O’Leary reported there will be a massive jobs growth in digital media in the country, especially in the areas of gambling, gaming and social networking.

A report by Goodbody Economic Consultants revealed Ireland could capture a large share of the cloud-computing industry, estimated to be worth €40bn worldwide by 2014. It also shows that Ireland alone has a chance to create €9.5bn a year in the revenues industry by 2014, producing 8,600 new jobs.

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