Ireland sees second highest rate of job ads offering hybrid working

Ireland has become a centre for so-called hybrid working since the pandemic with one of the highest shares of jobs that can be done at least partially from outside the workplace, according to new data from LinkedIn.

More than 40 per cent of paid job postings on the social network for professionals offered hybrid working here, the company said in a statement. That was the second highest rate in Europe, with only the UK seeing a greater percentage of such advertisements.

Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) a third of postings overall offered hybrid terms, LinkedIn found.

“Our data reflects the growing trend of companies offering hybrid options as a solution to balancing employees’ need for greater flexibility while at the same time ensuring you don’t lose that element of collective culture and community that is hard to establish with a fully remote workforce,” said Sharon McCooey, LinkedIn Ireland’s country manager. “With an Irish labour market that is effectively at full employment, giving the option of hybrid can be a crucial factor in attracting the best talent available.”

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The report underlines the extent that potential employees now focus on quality of life when considering whether to move jobs, with so-called work-life balance a key factor in any decision to change positions.

As many as seven in 10 of people LinkedIn surveyed said they would feel comfortable asking a potential employer if there is flexibility around working hours, and just over two-thirds would query if there is any flexibility around the working location, it said. Family considerations rank highly, with 67 per cent of the research participants prepared to ask a potential boss about their policy for supporting parents, including maternity and paternity leave.

Still, while Ireland is now a centre for hybrid-working opportunities the level of jobs that can be done fully remotely has plummeted. Just over 10 per cent of jobs advertised provided full-time remote work, a drop of more than 48 per cent year-on-year. Even with the plunge in remote ads Ireland still has one of the largest shares of remote job postings in EMEA, according to LinkedIn. Remote jobs received an outsize number of applicants too, accounting for close to a fifth of all applications.

“Flexibility is a topic that job applicants are proactively bringing up themselves in interviews, particularly mid to senior level professionals who are more likely to have caring responsibilities,” Ms McCooey said. “It’s a case of getting ahead of the curve by ensuring hybrid is an option rather than being left behind in this new world of work.”