Ireland Benefits from Net Migration of Professionals

According to new data released today by LinkedIn, Ireland is a net beneficiary from international professional talent migration with 20% more professionals coming to Ireland than leaving the country in the second quarter of 2015.

The software industry was the most popular sector for professionals moving to Ireland, reflecting the country’s popularity as a major destination both for continental European start ups looking to expand and for US technology firms looking to set up a European operation.

The sectors that attracted the most professionals moving to Ireland were:

1.    Technology (Software)

2.    Professional Services

3.    Technology (Hardware)

4.    Healthcare & Pharmaceutical

5.    Retail & Consumer Products

Italy was the biggest net contributor of professionals to Ireland in the quarter, reflecting wider migration trend of Italian professionals to west and northern Europe. The regions that contributed the most professionals to Ireland in terms of net migration during the period were:

1.    Italy (16%)

2.    Latin America (14%)

3.    France (13%)

4.    Asia (8%)

5.    Eastern Europe/Balkans (8%)

In contrast the industries losing the most professionals in Ireland were the Financial Services & Insurance, Architecture & Engineering and Manufacturing & Industrial sectors.  The countries that attracted the most talent from Ireland were the UK, United Arab Emirates, Germany and Saudi Arabia.  The United Kingdom attracted almost half of the professional talent that moved according to LinkedIn’s data.

There has also been a dramatic increase in the number of professionals leaving large (1000+ employee) organisations to take up entrepreneurship roles as individuals or within smaller firms; as the improvement in the economic environment has led to growth in the number of start ups and smaller firms taking on more staff.

LinkedIn Senior Director, Senior Director International Operations, Sharon McCooey commented, “According to our data, there’s an increased demand for talent in the Irish economy illustrated by the number of professionals moving to Ireland to take up positions, particularly in the technology sector. This reflects Ireland’s popularity as a place to do business, and the economic turnaround, which has seen more firms increase their headcount.”