Technology Recruitment Market Update

2020 presented significant challenges across all industries as companies tried to adapt to new ways of working and technology has been instrumental in enabling change and continuity of business. As a result, technology has been one of the major growth areas of 2020. Towards the end of the year, we saw an increase in hiring volumes across the entire market and confidence and sentiment began to increase as organisations looked to 2021 to rebuild and restructure in line with market conditions. Download the full report here. 

For the release of the Robert Walters Salary Survey, we interviewed Suzanne Feeney, Director Robert Walters Ireland, about the future recruitment and remuneration trends in the Technology sector:

How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact the hiring market in 2020?

Technology has been one of the major growth areas of 2020 with a pressing need across all sectors for candidates at Mid-Senior Levels, particularly Developers, Information Security and IT Risk and IT Audit.

This year presented significant challenges across all industries as companies tried to adapt to new ways of working and technology has been instrumental in enabling change and continuity of business

Which professionals and skills do you believe to be most in demand?

Demand for tech contractors has increased and the most in demand skills have been across software and web development, technical support (due to the increase on remote working) , and app developers. There has also been increased demand for ‘digital’ and ‘agile’ skills in the areas of Project Management, Development, data science, and cyber-security.

Analytics remained busy as many firms looked for data analysts to extract and analyse multiple data points to provide further insight for decision making purposes.

Python still remains a highly sought-after language and has slowly made its way outside of the technology universe and is being used in other fields.

AI and VR is still an area that continues to move from strength to strength following further advancements in technology.

Candidates with strong ML (Machine learning)/NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming/ Natural language processing) were in demand from E-commerce/ sites to build chatbots to relieve pressure on operators during peak business hours and to create deeper internet marketing capabilities from analysing user data.

What do you believe will be the biggest hiring trends of 2021?

Soft-skills in tech are now becoming a value- add and major differentiator with many hiring companies focusing on communication, problem-solving and relationship building skill-sets. A key trend we expect to continue in 2021 is a continued focus on Diversity and inclusion in the technology industry.  

Plan for new tech hires in 2021

Robert Walters provides access to Ireland’s most comprehensive Technology salary and remuneration benchmarking tool. Developed in partnership with a market leading data provider, we assessed over 100,000 jobs posted over the last 12-months, to provide you with accurate data points on salary ranges and expectations for permanent and contract positions across Ireland. 

Request your free copy here.