The majority of Irish software engineering professionals ranked hybrid working as their top motivator when switching jobs. Flexible working can also attract more women to the profession, said LinkedIn’s Deidre Hogan.
To coincide with Engineers Week 2024, LinkedIn Ireland has released new data that provides insights into software engineers’ top priorities as well as the barriers facing those who wish to enter the profession.
With women representing just 17pc of software engineers in Ireland, there is a very noticeable gender gap. Professionals in the sector have been trying to rectify this problem for years, with Engineers Ireland, the professional body for engineers, particularly strong in its appeals for companies to recognise that attracting more women to the sector could be the answer to ongoing engineering talent shortages across the board.
Glass ceiling
According to LinkedIn’s latest data, there appears to be a glass ceiling in engineering, with women holding proportionally more junior roles. LinkedIn’s analysis shows that women’s share of non-leadership roles is higher than their overall representation in the sector.
Currently, demand for software engineering talent in Ireland outstrips supply. Deirdre Hogan, senior engineering manager at LinkedIn, said that employers should make changes to their businesses to make them more appealing for a wider variety of workers.
“One factor which may help to address the gender divide for software engineers is hybrid working,” she said.
Big motivator for all, not just women
The data shows that the majority of software engineers in Ireland – not just women – (69pc) ranked flexible working arrangements as the biggest motivating factor when switching jobs – higher than salary and benefits. A healthy work-life balance was also listed as a very important factor for workers.
“Offering flexibility can boost a company’s ability to attract talent, with a work culture that accommodates people’s individual needs, broadening an employer’s potential pool of candidates in the process,” said Hogan.
Bringing candidates in from other countries is a method some Irish employers are embracing to address their talent needs. India, the UK, Brazil, Turkey and the Netherlands are the top five countries that Irish employers are relying on for talent at the moment.
Over the past year, the highest levels of recruitment were recorded by Workday, Mastercard and Fidelity Investments.
Irish third-levels also play a role in providing a pipeline of software engineering talent, with Technological University Dublin being the largest talent provider, followed by University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and the University of Galway.
The analysis was derived from data based on LinkedIn professionals located in Ireland whose job titles and platform activity matched certain criteria, and who engaged in specific activity within the past 12 months.
Updated 4.32pm, 5 March 2024: This article was amended to clarify that the LinkedIn data refers specifically to software engineers and not engineers in general.
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