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Employees might be more worried about a recession than Covid-19

19 Aug 2020

According to a survey from Virtualrecruitment.ie, more than 70pc of people in Ireland are concerned about future employment prospects.

New research from online jobs fair Virtualrecruitment.ie has suggested that workers in Ireland have a lack of confidence in the future jobs market as a result of Covid-19 and the prospect of a national recession.

It surveyed 1,200 people across IT, science and engineering, finance, education, hospitality, medicine and retail. Of those who took part, 46pc were in employment, 34pc were actively looking to change jobs and 6pc were students or recent graduates. Half had been working in their sector for five years or more and three-quarters held either an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification.

Recession concerns

According to Virtualrecruitment.ie, more than three-quarters of participants said that Covid-19 has affected their working situation, with one-third saying their job had been “severely affected” and one-quarter reporting “moderate” impacts.

Looking ahead, almost three-quarters (72pc) of the people surveyed cited concerns for the future of their employment. A potential recession was the main reason given, followed by Covid-19, the housing crisis and industries going through financial difficulties.

More than half of participants said they had already thought about changing job sectors this year. A lack of opportunities was one of the main points raised, cited by 45pc.

Respondents also shared their thoughts on the Government’s response to Covid-19 and its impacts on employment. More than half said they believed the Government has done enough to support employment during the crisis. Less than one-third said it should be doing more.

Remote working expectations

Around 35pc of the survey respondents had done some remote work before Covid-19, but 50pc were fully office-based. Since the start of the pandemic, however, 70pc have pivoted to remote working.

Looking to the future, 69pc of participants said they expect their working conditions to become a mix of remote and office-based work. More than half (57pc) are also expecting their employer to embrace remote working after the pandemic. Overall, 81pc said the Government should prioritise putting supports in place for remote working.

Lisa Ardill
By Lisa Ardill

Lisa Ardill joined Silicon Republic as senior careers reporter in July 2019. She has a BA in neuroscience and a master’s degree in science communication. She is also a semi-published poet and a big fan of doggos. Lisa briefly served as Careers Editor at Silicon Republic before leaving the company in June 2021.

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