Over 7 in 10 of Irish workers have considered relocating to a different county in pursuit of career opportunities and a better lifestyle according to new research by Irish recruitment website, Jobs.ie.
The data collected by Jobs.ie, revealed that a lifestyle change (57.5%), work-life balance (53.7%) and future career prospects (43.8%) are the key motivators for relocating within Ireland, with Galway (48%), Cork (40%) and Dublin (36%) proving to be the most desirable locations overall.
It is no surprise that the majority (60%) of IT professionals surveyed are currently based in Dublin.
In recent years the city has earned its reputation as a major European tech hub, with multinational technology companies like Google, Facebook, Salesforce and LinkedIn providing a major source of high-quality employment in the county.
However, the desire to relocate amongst tech professionals is high, with over 74% of IT professionals open to relocating to another county. The majority of those within the industry ranked Cork (54%) and Galway (50.3%) among the most desirable locations ahead of Dublin (32%).
Work/life balance (56.8%) proved to be the top motivator for relocation among IT professionals followed by a change in lifestyle (52.2%) and better housing options (50.7%).
Accounting and finance professionals shared a similar view to those working in IT, with a lifestyle change (60%) and work-life balance (57%) among the motivators that would spur a move within Ireland. However, future career prospects (44%) are more important than better housing options (41%) to professionals in this sector.
For professionals working in accounting and finance, most respondents selected the opportunity for international travel (36%), as the most important factor in choosing their career. However, for those who are open to relocating within Ireland, Galway (40%) is the most popular destination, versus just 34% of people citing Dublin.
For graduates, the reasons for choosing their work location differs greatly, with future career prospects (68%) and wanting to work for a specific company (39%) placing among their top considerations.
Graduates also ranked their top work locations as Dublin (64%), Cork (50%) and Galway (43%).
Commenting on the report’s findings, Christopher Paye, General Manager at Jobs.ie said that as the survey suggests, the days of sacrificing your desired lifestyle to suit your line of work are evolving.
He said “Instead, employees are more focused on ensuring that the role they choose complements the lifestyle that they want, and the majority are more than willing to relocate to achieve this.
“Counties that were possibly once considered ‘undesirable’ in comparison to the bright lights of cities like Cork, Dublin and Galway are now attractive locations for many highly skilled professionals. This is to be welcomed by everyone. It is good news for employers in rural Ireland and it also reduces the dependency on the Dublin economy and the infrastructural strain on Dublin housing stock.
“The results also indicate that companies need to heed this shift and adapt in order to better meet the needs of their employees. Investing in a remote working protocol or partnering with co-working spaces in Digital Towns like Gorey or Sligo will allow employees who wish to, to change their lifestyle or achieve a better work-life balance without the employer sacrificing on productivity, or losing the employee altogether as they look to relocate elsewhere.”
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