Salaries good in Irish digital sector, but roles not being filled

16 May 2011

An increasing number of much-needed candidates for jobs in the digital economy are enquiring about finding work in the UK, despite salaries for such roles in Ireland comparing well, research by recruitment consultancy Prosperity has revealed.

 “These are candidates who are in demand here, and are vital to the evolution of a digital economy. While higher salaries are generally not on offer in the UK, these candidates appear to be attracted to the lower cost of living in the UK,” said Gary Mullan, joint managing director of Prosperity.ie

“Irish employers might go some way to addressing this by offering higher salaries, more benefits, access to ongoing training, flexible working hours and the opportunity to work on innovative or prestigious products / campaigns.”

The Prosperity 2011 Digital Salary & Employment Survey shows Irish salaries for digital media managerial roles are on par with Singaporean salaries and are on average 5-15pc higher than those received in the UK with salaries in Israel, for the same roles, very similar to Ireland.  

Salary comparisons for digital roles

Head of digital salaries often come in around the €100k per annum mark in the UK, while in Ireland they can extend up to €110k.

 Higher salaries in Ireland for senior digital roles might reflect the lag Ireland’s indigenous companies suffer in relation to other markets such as the UK, and the fact that many senior appointments require strong strategic planning and implementation abilities to bring Irish companies up to speed, according to prosperity.

Social media managers can attain salaries of up to €45k per annum in the UK, while there is no such cap in Ireland, and people with strong experience can often earn far more. A digital marketing director in the UK can generally earn between €80 – 100k, while in Ireland the salary range is €80 – 110k.   

According to the research, roles where demand exceeds supply, include web/mobile developers, ecommerce managers, interactive/digital designers and search engine optimisation specialists.

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