Up to 95% of Irish firms are struggling to find specialist talent to resource their projects and upskill their teams, resulting in longer vacancy fill periods, ongoing skills shortages in key parts of the economy, and significant disruption to Irish business.
This is according to international hiring expert, Matthew Camilleri, founder and CEO of Castille, headquartered in Cork city.
Speaking about the national specialist skills shortage, Camilleri said: “The Irish specialist skills gap is very real and will only get worse unless Ireland takes a more innovative approach to sourcing talent. Irish companies are struggling to recruit specialist talent, and definitely in software and accountancy. Up to 95% of companies in Ireland are struggling to hire specialist skills many local surveys show 40-95%.
“I have been meeting Irish business leaders across different sectors and have yet to meet one who is not struggling to hire specialist skills in one area or another. There is clearly a lack of qualified candidates, resulting in business disruption at a time when international competition is fierce and Ireland, more than ever, needs to be positioning itself as a suitable place for ongoing foreign direct investment.
“Despite Ireland’s record numbers of graduates in recent years, the country still suffers from the growing international affliction of structural shortages of highly-skilled people,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL TALENT POOL
Camilleri said better investment in workforce planning and tapping into a more diverse international talent pool was now required for Irish firms to thrive.
“The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted traditional work patterns and ushered in the new world of work. This has made it possible for organisations to tap into a wider talent pool but has also increased the competition for specialised skills in a remote work environment. Companies that take proactive steps to address this issue are positioning themselves for success in an increasingly competitive, innovative business landscape. By investing in workforce development and partnering for specialist skills, companies can build a robust pipeline of harder to find talent to drive growth and innovation,” he added.
