When people talk about finding jobs lately, many say it's tough in 2024. Let's take a deeper look at what the data says about job opportunities in Ireland.
One way to find out is by looking at the unemployment rate. Surprisingly, Ireland doesn't rank among the top 10 EEA countries with the highest unemployment rates. In fact, it's 20th on the list, with an unemployment rate of 4.32%. Spain has the highest rate at 12.1%, followed by Greece (11.1%), Italy (7.7%), and Sweden (7.7%). The statistics show that Ireland is still below the average unemployment rate (5.55%) across the EEA region.
Looking specifically at Ireland, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.6% to 4.2% in February 2024 despite the slower economic growth. However, there was a slight increase of 0.01% in March 2024, adding 1,900 people to be unemployed. According to The Irish Times, job postings on the Indeed website in March were only 14% higher than before the pandemic, compared to 17% and 22% in February and January, respectively.
Experts suggest that the number of job postings will likely return to pre-pandemic levels. Based on this information, finding a job during the next few months seems like a long battle with time. As we cannot predict the future employment rate, patience and initiative will be necessary for individuals seeking job opportunities.
For international professionals and graduates, it's essential to know that you might be able to extend your visa if it's expiring soon. Future Direct is a leading immigration consultancy firm in Ireland that provides services to individuals and corporations. If you have concerns about your visa status or expiration date, feel free to contact us at +353 872400433 or email info@futuredirect.ie. We're here to help answer your questions.
The data is obtained from the Central Statistics Office: https://data.cso.ie/table/WMI15 & https://data.cso.ie/table/MUM01