A new analysis of jobs market by Accenture has found that emerging technologies and sustainability are the roles that are most in-demand amongst Irish employers.

Accenture’s Ireland Talent Tracker assesses skills of existing professionals and skills required by organisations.

The methodology for the report was querying emerging technology and sustainability keywords on LinkedIn in early March 2022. The tracker assessed skills of both existing roles and open positions.

According to the data analysed, there are currently over 100,000 Ireland-based professionals with technology skills such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and quantum computing.

There are a further 15,000 job vacancies currently advertised in emerging technologies.

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Accenture says that that the highest demand is for employees with cloud skills, appearing on 41% of all technology jobs advertised, followed by cybersecurity (21%), data analytics (18%) and artificial intelligence (12%).

Other emerging technology skills like quantum computing, robotics, extended reality, and data ethics and responsibility currently feature in 7% of job postings combined.

Ninety-six percent of the jobs advertised by employers are available across eight major hubs – Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Limerick, Waterford, Westmeath and Sligo. Two thirds of the technology and sustainability talent pool reside in these counties.

Dublin has the highest demand for jobs in these areas, with 60% of the advertised roles based in the capital.

The Accenture study also looked at the rise in remote-working arrangements, with close to one-in-eight tech job postings being advertised as remote-based work.

Accenture country manager Alastair Blair (pictured) commented: “The pandemic saw many Irish organisations invest heavily in their technology capabilities, which means that they are now looking for professionals to help them embrace the next wave of change, with a focus on technologies such as cloud and artificial intelligence, and rapidly emerging trends like the metaverse.”

The Accenture Talent Tracker also analysed talent supply and found that:

• There are over 40,000 data analytics professionals in Ireland, the highest of all of the technology skills and representing almost 40% of the total technology professionals.
• Cybersecurity is the next most common skill, with over 25,000 people citing expertise in this area.
• Job seekers are rapidly developing credentials within sustainability, with over 14,000 people claiming to have experience here. There are currently over 3,000 job postings requiring skills in sustainability.

Accenture’s Antony Keane stated: “Cloud computing skills are in particularly high demand, with the number of current open roles climbing close to the total talent pool with that skillset.

“Given the exceptional demand from employers, technology employees should consider upskilling or reskilling in this area. Similarly, global and local developments have put sustainability top of mind for organisations and individuals alike, so it’s not surprising to see that there is significant demand for sustainability-focused roles, and this is likely to only increase in the future.”

Data Analytics diploma

Hibernia College has launched a new Postgraduate Diploma in Science in Business Data Analytics. A one-year 60-credit NFQ Level 9 flexible blended learning programme, it will run for three 12-week semesters between September and June 2023, with classes approximately 10 hours weekly.

Hibernia College said that blended live webinars, face-to-face tutorials and laboratory tasks will be scheduled in the evenings and on Saturdays, in addition to on-demand online learning.

Hibernia College has partnered with the Analytics Institute for the course, which will  coordinate a 12-week work placement for students with its member organisations.

A number of places are funded by the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 1 fund and eligible applicants can apply through Springboard+.