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Irish employers are looking for cloud, cybersecurity and analytics skills

12 Apr 2022

Around 40pc of Irish tech jobs are located outside of Dublin with 12pc advertised as remote, according to the latest Talent Tracker report from Accenture.

Cloud computing, cybersecurity and data analytics are the most in-demand tech skills for Irish employers. That’s according to new research from Accenture.

The company’s Ireland Talent Tracker report assessed the skills of professionals as well as the skills required by employers across the nation. It searched for emerging technology and sustainability keywords on LinkedIn in early March 2022.

The report assessed skills required for existing roles and open positions across the areas of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, data ethics and responsibility, extended reality, quantum computing, robotics and sustainability.

It found that workers with cloud skills were in the highest demand, with these skills appearing on 41pc of technology jobs advertised. Cybersecurity skills came in second at 21pc, followed by data analytics (18pc) and artificial intelligence (12pc).

Other emerging technology skills such as quantum computing, robotics, extended reality, and data ethics and responsibility featured in 7pc of job postings combined.

Overall, there are currently around 15,000 job vacancies being advertised in these areas of emerging tech in Ireland.

According to Accenture’s data, more than 100,000 Ireland-based workers possess tech skills relating to artificial intelligence, data analytics and quantum computing.

The research also said that a significant portion (40pc) of Ireland’s tech jobs are located outside of Dublin. This was attributed to the growth in new tech hubs nationwide.

Outside the capital, the regions with the most tech job openings were Cork, Galway and Limerick, followed by Waterford. Demand for cybersecurity, cloud and data analytics experts was particularly high in these counties.

The vast majority (96pc) of all the jobs advertised by Irish employers were available across eight major hubs – Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Limerick, Waterford, Westmeath and Sligo. Accenture said that two-thirds (66.6pc) of the technology and sustainability talent pool reside in these counties.

Just 12pc of technology job postings were being advertised as remote first.

“As the workplace evolves, we need to regularly review how we are building and supporting Ireland’s greatest asset – our people and our talent. It’s imperative to help people build skills that can be adapted to what’s next,” said Alastair Blair, country managing director of Accenture in Ireland.

“The pandemic saw many Irish organisations invest heavily in their technology capabilities, which means that they are now looking for professionals to help them embrace the next wave of change, with a focus on technologies such as cloud and artificial intelligence, and rapidly emerging trends like the metaverse.”

Antony Keane, strategy and consulting lead at Accenture Ireland, said that given the “exceptional demand” from employers for cloud computing skills, workers should consider upskilling or reskilling in this area.

“Similarly, global and local developments have put sustainability top of mind for organisations and individuals alike, so it’s not surprising to see that there is significant demand for sustainability-focused roles, and this is likely to only increase in the future,” Keane added.

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Blathnaid O’Dea
By Blathnaid O’Dea

Blathnaid O’Dea joined Silicon Republic in 2021 as Careers reporter, coming from a background in the Humanities. She likes people, pranking, pictures of puffins – and apparently alliteration.

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