Ireland Among Top 15 Countries for Overseas Jobseekers

Ireland is ranked among the top fifteen countries in the world when it comes to attracting interest from overseas jobseekers, according to a new analysis which also suggests that the EU as a whole is struggling to attract foreign workers.

The research by Indeed puts English-speaking Ireland in 14th place in a list of countries ranked in terms of the proportion of job searches from people living overseas. A total of 11.1% of searches for jobs in Ireland in June of this year originated from outside the country.

The analysis examined job search and click data in the 62 countries in which Indeed has job sites. Luxembourg, ranked at No:1, and Austria are the only other EU countries in the top 15 on 72.3% and 18.3% respectively. Oman (51.7%) and Switzerland (40.9%) are second and third after Luxembourg. Five of the top 15, including Ireland, are English-speaking.

Indeed’s findings show immigration to developed countries has rebounded significantly post-pandemic, fueled in large part by tight labour markets and long-term demographic trends including ageing populations and shrinking local workforces. Searches from abroad for jobs in the EU as a whole, however, remain well below those for jobs in some of the large English-speaking countries.

In the UK, Canada and Australia, searches from potential workers located abroad have surpassed their June 2019 levels by 69%, 74% and 141%, respectively. In contrast, searches from abroad for jobs in the EU were recorded at just 5% above their June 2019 levels.

The pandemic has had, at most, a transient effect on international worker mobility. In April 2021, at the height of the pandemic, just 1.5% of all clicks on EU jobs came from searchers outside the EU. That share has almost doubled since, rising to 2.8% as of June – an 82% jump that nevertheless pales in comparison to recent gains in non-EU nations.

In the case of jobs in the UK, which eased its requirements for non-EU workers after Brexit, the share of searches conducted by those living in other countries rose from 2.2% to 5.5% over the same period, a 146% increase.

Amongst other western countries, Australia and Canada have also attracted high shares of foreign jobseekers. A total of 17.2% of job searches for positions in Australia came from outside the country in June and this figure was 10.9% for Canada in the same month. Approximately 3.2% of US job searches came from abroad in June, up from a low of 2.1% in 2020, but still somewhat below the pre-pandemic peak of 4.2% set in 2019.

Indeed’s research puts Ireland on a 2.6% share of all clicks on overseas jobs by jobseekers in Ukraine. This is ahead of France (1.4%), the UAE (1.2%), Italy (1.2%) and Switzerland (1.1%). The US is the most in-demand country for jobseekers in Ukraine accounting for just over a third of all foreign clicks followed by Canada (25.2%), the UK (15.3%), Germany (9.6%) and the Netherlands (2.7%).

In Ireland, personal care & home health is the leading job category and the one with the most significant growth, up 8.2 percentage points from 2019 and accounting for 9.2% of foreign clicks on Irish jobs in the first half of this year. Cleaning and sanitation’s share of foreign clicks is up 1.5 percentage points to 2.9% while nursing is up 1.1 percentage points to 2.6%.

Software development is the second most popular Irish job category for foreign workers, accounting for 6.4% of all foreign clicks while administrative assistance is third on 6.3%.

The majority of clicks on personal care and home health jobs in Ireland come from Nigeria (18.6), South Africa (17.1%) and Zimbabwe (15.4%). For cleaning and sanitation, the majority come from the UK (14.2%), India (12.4%) and Brazil (9.1%).

The research shows the US is the most highly favoured country for Ukrainians looking for work abroad. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, many Ukrainians, mainly women and children, left the country. Among those who remained, some are seeking jobs abroad. Almost three-quarters of jobseekers in Ukraine looking for opportunities abroad click on roles outside the EU.

North America is highly favoured, collectively accounting for more than half the clicks – 33.7% for the US and 25.2% for Canada. Software development jobs are the most sought after by Ukrainian candidates in the US, Canada and the UK, accounting for 15% of all clicks. These jobs can often be performed remotely, a plus for those Ukrainians unable or not wanting to move abroad, but still seeking access to Western labour markets.

Indeed’s analysis also identified which jobs are most popular for all foreign searchers looking at jobs in other countries, and from which nations those searches are coming from. Tech and healthcare roles – including software development and nursing – were among the most popular jobs sought by foreign jobseekers in the EU and UK.

Occupations with the highest growth in foreign interest since the first half of 2019 include software development, food preparation and service, and personal and care services, with some variation depending on the country. But it is where workers are searching from when they look at jobs abroad that has the most significant differences.

In the EU as a whole, software development job postings represented 8.5% of clicks from abroad in the first half of 2023, up 1.8 percentage points from the first half of 2019. Jobseekers in India, America and Britain together accounted for more than a third (35%) of those foreign clicks on EU software development jobs. Personal and home care represented 1.7% of foreign clicks for positions within the EU in the first half of the year, up 1 percentage point from 2019. African jobseekers, mainly from Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, formed the largest contingents in this category.

Pawel Adrjan, Director of EMEA Economic Research at Indeed said: “Our research shows that jobs in the EU are clearly not as attractive for foreign jobseekers compared to jobs in some large English-speaking countries. Although immigration to developed countries has rebounded, the EU is still struggling to establish itself as the most sought-after destination. In order to enhance competitiveness, it is essential to improve the EU’s appeal as a global employment hub. Specific agreements with other countries and leveraging the strengths of EU regions could help attract the desired skills and workers.”

“In general, Indeed’s findings also suggest jobseekers from abroad are more likely to click on job postings in a given country when there is a significant cultural diaspora in that country and when there is linguistic or geographical proximity to their home nation.

“Ireland, for example, has already taken in a high number of Ukrainian refugees and has been very welcoming to those seeking refuge from the Russian invasion. This could help to explain why Ireland is among the top ten countries for job searches for Ukrainians who have yet to leave their home country.”

To learn more, visit Indeed Hiring Lab website.