It’s been another massive week in the Irish jobs market, as over 650 jobs were announced over the last five days.
Big announcements came from Pfizer Grange Castle and Sigmar Recruiting, with Johnson Hana International, Compliance & Risks, Proxy Biomedical, Endress + Hauser and Ve Interactive rounding out those 675 jobs.
If you’re bored of reading about just another tech job, or just another job in science, though, we also took a slightly different tack this week, looking at the dream jobs that are floating around out there. Wombat cuddler? Tropical island blogger? Eh… sign us up!
Though, if you have to stay a little closer to home, rather than on a tropical island, at least the jobs market may be about to open up a whole lot more. In a post-Brexit world, we’re potentially set to see a windfall of job opportunities winging in our direction from the UK.
Good news for us, bad news for them. But then it really hasn’t been their week, as news broke that the UK’s digital skills gap is costing the economy a whopping £63bn a year in lost GDP.
Back on our shores, though, it looks like some of those post-Brexit blow-ins might have to get used to sacrifice some of their workplace happiness, as it looks as though Ireland is slipping down the global rankings of work-life balance.
Work-life balance can be an integral cog in the company culture machine, so Ireland clearly needs to step up its game. Anyone looking to improve their company’s work-life balance could do worse than to look to Didier Elzinga, CEO of Culture Amp, who this week convinced our editor – and chief cynic – that culture’s not a pointless construct.
If Elzinga can convince John Kennedy…
And a tweak to your culture could very well stop a few of your employees from leaving, too. A new report from LinkedIn highlights the reasons professionals leave companies. Is your company doing what it needs to do?
Of course, as a candidate, it’s possible that none of this will ever affect you, if you don’t have what it takes to make it in tech. This week, we heard from Arden Hoffman, VP and global head of people at Dropbox, who explained which personalities do well in the tech sector, and how we can get more people – more diverse people – into the sector.
One group helping to bridge that talent gap is the Grace Hopper Academy in New York City – an engineering school for women in which students will only pay tuition after securing a job in engineering. In this way, the school breaks down barriers to entry, supporting women of all backgrounds, and all means, as they develop their skills and tech their first steps in tech.
This week, to coincide with the release of the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, we also profiled some female researchers at work in Ireland.
We heard from Lara Cassidy, whose area of focus is prehistoric genetics, and photonics expert Niamh Kavanagh – and they’re just two of the many incredible scientists we spoke to.
Finally, you may have noticed that the site looks a little different this week. We’re trialling a beta of a new-look Careers section, and welcome all feedback. Encounter any issues or have any comments? Drop us an email.
As always, for more information on any of these stories, follow the links below.
1. Pfizer Grange Castle expansion to create up to 350 jobs
New documents filed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveal that Pfizer will undertake a major expansion of its Grange Castle facility in Dublin, creating up to 350 jobs.
2. Sigmar adding 150 new roles to its recruitment team
Sigmar Recruitment is planning a major drive to up its staff count, adding 150 to its currently 120-strong team by the end of 2018.
3. 13 incredible dream jobs you’ll think we made up
Have what it takes to be a chief wombat cuddler, director of cat meme creation or chief birthday officer? No, we didn’t make those up.
4. Dublin’s jobs boost post-Brexit: Myth or reality?
In the aftermath of Brexit, reports emerged of Ireland – and Dublin in particular – benefiting from UK workers seeking an EU refuge. Will that hold true, though?
5. Digital skills gap is costing UK economy £63bn a year in lost GDP
Only 16pc of people in the UK would be comfortable building a website, compared with 39pc in Brazil and 37pc in India. This is according to a Barclays study which estimates the digital skills gap is costing the UK economy £63bn annually in lost GDP.
6. Should we worry that Ireland has slid down work-life balance rankings?
The most recent ranking of which countries believe they have achieved the best work-life balance has shown Ireland rank 14th out of the 35 OECD members, with women feeling the burden of ‘work-work’ life more than ever.
7. Culture Amp CEO: ‘A brand is a promise, culture is how you deliver on it’
Didier Elzinga, CEO of Culture Amp, says culture is intrinsically linked to leadership and trust, and companies and workers either have it or they don’t.
8. Why do professionals leave their jobs? LinkedIn has an idea
A new report from LinkedIn, which surveyed hundreds of employees across the country, has provided some revealing information on why professionals leave companies in Ireland.
9. Do you have what it takes to make it in tech?
The tech sector. That streets paved with gold, dream big, anything is possible sector. That sector everyone wants to be in. But do you have what it takes?
10. Set sail for rewarding tech careers with Grace Hopper Academy
Next week, a new cohort of women will join a fast-paced 17-week programme that will ground them in fullstack JavaScript development. And the amazing thing is the students will only pay tuition once they secure a job after graduating.
11. Contributing to human understanding is the most fulfilling part of being a researcher
Lara Cassidy, a PhD student at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), tells us about her work in prehistory.
12. Scientists becoming better at communicating their work to public, says researcher
Niamh Kavanagh, photonics PhD candidate and science communicator at the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC), Tyndall National Institute, tells us about what a day as a researcher entails.
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