Software development, engineering, privacy analyst and tax management jobs are among the 20 hardest jobs to fill in Ireland, according to new data from Indeed.

Analysis of 2024 jobs postings by the jobs website determined which posts were most likely to remain open for more than 60 days, an indicator of them being 'hard to fill'.

Postings for privacy analysts were the most difficult to fill, with 54% of such roles remaining open for more than two months in part due to the highly complex and specialised nature of the job, the advanced qualifications required, and the fast developing nature of the field itself.

"Amid increased privacy requirements and regulation for businesses, roles for privacy analysts are the number one roles that are hardest to fill, likely due to the highly specialised nature of the work," said Sarah Carroll, career expert at Indeed.

"The list also reflects the pressing and persistent need for increased housing and infrastructure, as qualified engineers and construction workers remain in high demand year on year."

Postings for artists were the second-most difficult to fill with half (51%) of roles remaining open for 60+ days due to the growing interest and investment in industries such as film, animation and games development across Ireland that has seen positions such as props artists, environment artists and character artists advertised.

"The term can encompass a wide variety of creative roles, including jobs in the film, gaming and animation sectors.

"However, it is also a good example of a title that is sometimes misapplied to unrelated, non-creative roles in an effort to make them sound more interesting or prestigious," said Carroll.

"This is a trend employers should be wary of, as it can make it difficult to target the right talent. Often in an effort to sound more appealing, employers can in fact drive jobseekers away, either through confusion or frustration.

"Keeping it simple and being authentic is far more effective when looking to get the right match.”

Engineering roles feature prominently in the top 20 with 43% of both process engineering roles (eighth) and senior engineering roles (ninth) remaining open after 60 days. Senior electrical engineering roles are in 12th position.

Meanwhile construction related roles also continue to feature on the list, including building engineers (10th), welders (16th) and electrical technicians (19th), highlighting the pressing need for a range of specialties in the sector.

Technology roles made up three of the top five, including software test engineers (third), principal software engineers (fourth) and cloud engineers (fifth).

Other disciplines within the sector to feature in the top 20 include back end developers (10th), Java developers (17th) and senior software engineers (18th).

Meanwhile, a total of 45% of roles for quality assurance analysts (sixth) and just over 44% of jobs for tax managers are also proving hard to fill. 

In the 2023 list, published last January, engineering and construction roles also proved difficult to fill.

Job postings for instrumentation engineers proved the hardest role to fill in 2023, while resident engineers (fifth) and design engineers (sixth) both made the top 10.

(Pic: Getty Images)