The number of fully remote job vacancies available in the Irish labour market continued to fall in the third quarter of the year, new data from IrishJobs has shown.

However hybrid working posts were stable, the index showed, while vacancies in sectors such as construction and engineering were also strong.

The growth in hiring also continued to moderate in the third quarter, indicating a more cautious labour market. The number of new job vacancies advertised fell 13 per cent year on year, and 4 per cent lower compared to the previous quarter.

According to the IrishJobs Index, the proportion of job vacancies offering fully remote working was at its lowest level in almost four years, at just under 2 per cent. That continued a trend seen in recent quarters.

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However, vacancies offering a mix of home and office working accounted for between 11.2 per cent and 12.4 per cent of jobs on offer in the past six quarters. There was also sustained interest from candidates in hybrid work, with searches on IrishJobs up 46 per cent year on year, compared with a 9 per cent increase year on year for remote opportunities.

“Recent return to the office announcements made by large multinationals have caused waves in workplaces not just in Ireland but around the world. Our analysis of job postings offering the working models that emerged during the pandemic reveals two different trends. While fully remote working continues to decline, hybrid working has stabilised, indicating that it looks set to become a long-term feature of the labour market,” said Sam Dooley, country director of the Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.

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“As employers navigate a tight labour market, embedding hybrid working in their offering reflects a clear response to candidate demand for flexible working arrangements.”

The IrishJobs Q3 Index also showed vacancies in property, retail, arts and entertainment — the sectors considered “domestic” — outperformed internationally traded sectors such as banking, finance and IT, while the construction sector accounted for more job vacancies than IT over the past three months, at 5.3 per cent.

Overall, vacancies in the construction sector were 15 per cent lower quarter on quarter, but longer-term trends indicate a more positive environment. Yearly figures show a 31 per cent rise in hiring activity, with vacancies up almost a third compared to the same period in 2023, while property also showed a significant rise at 29 per cent. Among the most popular roles are quantity surveyors, environmental, health & safety advisers and construction managers.

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“Over the past three months, the sector was one of the largest sources of job vacancies, edging out the IT sector for the second successive quarter,” said Mr Doorley. “With high levels of ongoing building activity required to meet ambitious housing targets, this demand is unlikely to abate soon.”

The catering sector, which includes the under-pressure hospitality industry, accounted for 11 per cent of vacancies in the past three months. The tech sector, meanwhile, recorded a 10 per cent fall in quarterly vacancies, indicating it has yet to return to growth following the mass lay-offs in recent years.

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