IT Search’s Rebecca Lavery discusses the software ecosystem in Ireland and offers advice to professionals considering their next career move.
For Rebecca Lavery, senior recruitment consultant at IT Search, a member of the Vertical Markets Group, the Irish software development market has experienced significant growth since the global pandemic.
He explained, the initial boom in 2021 and 2022 led to an increase in the roles of software and movement in the entire sector, before a sharp decline in the market as a whole in 2023.
He said, “Today, employment rates remain at about 40pc of pre-pandemic levels. What makes the current picture even more stark is where the focus is. Hiring is happening at a higher and higher level.”
As a result, you find that many small roles, which are jobs that are often done by graduates, freshers, or professionals with little experience, as a way to start their career journey, are very rare in the current ecosystem.
Lavery said, “Junior and mid-level roles have dried up significantly due to the increased adoption of AI, which is a self-replacement job that used to be an entry-level job.
“This creates the problem that the industry has not yet seen its full effect. Several of our clients have expressed the same concern, if companies do not hire and train young people today, where will the engineers of tomorrow come from?”
Mixed market demand
As a direct result of widespread layoffs the experience of experts in the space, during the last few years, Lavery finds that the issue of reduced opportunities is greatly compounded by the increase in the number of people looking for work.
Just last December the workplace social network LinkedIn new published data highlighting the growing competition professionals face as they try to find a new job, leading to an increase in ‘job hugging’, which is the commitment to stay in your current role. This is often due to wider issues, fears and concerns about the wider employment environment.
Lavery said, “The result is a tricky mix, fewer roles, more candidates and one of the most competitive recruitment markets we’ve seen.
This was also seen in a recent report from Employment and Recruitment Agencysupported by Icon Accounting, which has published its Annual Irish Labor Market Survey. The research suggested we are seeing an environment where organizations are still hiring, but with a more defensive mindset as they navigate the pressures of rising costs, uncertainty and talent constraints.
Earlier speaking about the annual report, David Shanahan, director of IT Search, explained that there are “important nuances” to be aware of. He explained that in certain areas, such as data and cybersecurity, hiring is more contract oriented. However, across AI, software engineering and DevOps, hiring is more evenly distributed than it might seem.
Shanahan said, “Contract roles are closely tied to project and program delivery, while permanent employment is driven by product-led and commercial software companies, where the focus is on building and growing technology platforms.”
Future needs
Ultimately, “It’s very difficult for young people to break into the industry right now,” said Lavery, who added, “the only advice I have is to keep trying and improve your skills along the way, with courses and personal projects that you can show in an interview.”
With education and skills development in mind, today (4 June) the IUA, which is the Universities Association of Ireland, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, has confirmed the return of the Undergraduate Student Grant Fund.
Designed to support lifelong learning and create opportunities for students, the grant will support participation in 57 minor courses offered by IUA universities in 2026, covering nationally important areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainability, leadership, innovation, healthcare, engineering and business development.
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