More than half of young adults aged 18-24 (52%) say that they would consider living and working outside of Ireland's major cities due to the current lack of affordable housing, according to Vodafone Ireland.

Working full-time from home is the most favoured option among young adults (33%), with 77% indicating the working from home full-tie was among their top three preferences for their work setup.

Again, just over half (51%) said the ability to work from a digital hub outside the cities is more attractive due in large part to the lower cost of living (73%). Four in five (80%) agreed that greater flexibility would influence their decision to live close to a digital hub.

Meanwhile, rising costs have detailed future education plans, with 47% citing expense as influencing their choice and location of third-level education institution or whether to pursue higher education at all.

Work-life balance and commuting times were the most important factors for respondents when considering a new career or role, with 37% of those surveyed seeing salary as the most important consideration compared to just 21% of females.

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A quarter of women (25%) said work-life balance was the most important consideration, while opportunities to travel internationally and networking opportunities were among the lower priorities for participants in their career choices at 2% and 4%, respectively.

Multinational companies were the most appealing organisations for young people starting their career at 30%, followed by working for a small to medium businesses (24%), but 31% of women favoured the option to work for an SME in comparison to 18% men. 

Working with a start-up was favoured more by males (21%) than females (9%). and 18% of those in Dublin were more likely to become an entrepreneur and start their own business, compared to 5% of those based outside of Dublin.

Vodafone carried out the study to mark the launch of phase two of the Vodafone SIRO Gigabit Hub Initiative, which will see 15 new hubs connected in towns across Ireland, More than 300 people aged 18-24 were interviewed by Empathy Research for the study.

"Our study clearly shows how important flexible and hybrid working is to the next generation, which continues to prove transformative for people, businesses and local communities," said Anne O'Leary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland.

"As we’ve seen in recent weeks, the concept, provision and demand for digital hubs is growing around the country and this will only increase as we see those finishing second and third level education adapt to the new future of work and life-long learning.

"The advantages are clear in terms of access to collaborative and creative spaces, not to mention allowing people work closer to their home and local communities that will boost rural communities. We are therefore delighted to support phase two of our gigabit initiative and provide an additional 15 hubs across Ireland with 1 Gigabit broadband connectivity."

She added: “According to the study, there are a number of factors influencing these insights which employers and other key stakeholders need to be cognisant of as we shape future ways of working and the future of our communities.

"The most significant of these is the lack of affordable accommodation and the rising cost of living which is having a direct impact on the choice where to live, decisions about education, and future employment and career choices among young adults – all of which will affect the future fabric of our economy and society.”

John Keaney, CEO of SIRO, said: "Today’s research results are very encouraging in terms of the future of work and balanced regional development. They underpin what has been SIRO’s philosophy since we first commenced rolling out fibre broadband to 154 Irish towns.

"Namely, give communities access to world-class connectivity and then work from anywhere becomes possible.

“The research shows many young people are open to working and living where their family and community connections are located, if this is feasible. Access to high quality fibre broadband networks, like SIRO’s, are now making this possible. This is transformative for Ireland’s economic and social development. 

"Hubs are playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between home and work in many towns across Ireland. SIRO is delighted, to once again, support more digital hubs around Ireland by providing them with Gigabit fibre broadband to underpin their connectivity offering."

Photo: (l-r) Ciara Matthews; David Sharpe; Anne O’Leary, John Keaney, Gillian Scally and Anand Jain. (Pic: Naoise Culhane)