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It appears working professionals are looking for new career opportunities and roles in the employment market for the year ahead. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, money is the primary motivator for this trend, according to new research from LinkedIn.
The professional platform has revealed a shift in professionals’ attitudes as they are taking control and ownership of their careers by focusing on productivity and career growth.
Survey results
The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 1,000 professionals in full-time or part-time employment. The survey found:
• 36% of Irish workers surveyed admitted that they have looked for a new job during their working day
• 36% believe that the Irish economy will improve this year
• 73% of Irish workers are considering a new job in 2024
• 62% of workers surveyed are confident of finding a new role in 2024.
• One in four people that have used AI tools admit to using the likes of ChatGPT to write a CV.
Motivators for moving
The beginning of every year sees many professionals adopt a ‘new year, new job’ mindset. As employees look for new opportunities and set out career goals, they are taking charge of their careers and looking for new opportunities.
According to LinkedIn career expert, Charlotte Davies, this research shows a renewed confidence across the workforce in Ireland and abroad.
“Many people were hesitant to switch jobs during or in the immediate wake of the pandemic, but now people are thinking about the next step in their career,” she says.
A primary motivator for many people is salary, with 44% of respondents indicating this is the biggest factor in why they would switch roles. This is in light of the increased cost of living and the impact of inflation.
“What this means is that we expect to see far greater competition among roles, as opposed to people changing jobs en masse. A knock-on effect of this, however, is a growing frustration with the recruitment process, with some professionals even complaining that they had not heard back from a recruiter.”
Roles in sales, engineering and cybersecurity are among the top 10 fastest-growing jobs in Ireland in 2024, according to Charlotte.
Specialised skillsets
“From a macro level, we are also seeing ongoing demand for talent in the digital and green economies,” says Charlotte. The underlying trend in many cases is demand for specialised skillsets.
“What professionals should realise is that while some of these careers may seem unattainable if their original qualification is not in one of these fields, quite often they have a lot of the core skills for the role.”
Charlotte encourages employers to recognise this and not to overlook talent internally as it is far more effective to invest in your own people than constantly looking for new talent.
“Similarly, from a recruitment perspective, they should start taking a skills-based approach and not rule out candidates simply because they don’t have a degree from a specific course,” she says.
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