New research from hiring platform IrishJobs has revealed a cautious approach to hiring among firms in the science and IT sectors ahead of the US tariffs announcement.
The Jobs Index for the first quarter of the year showed there was no change in quarterly job vacancies in both of these sectors which IrishJobs said indicated that companies were adopting a “wait and see” approach to hiring.
The science sector is composed of a wide range of pharmaceutical and life sciences multinationals which are exposed to potential sector specific trade tariffs.
The cautious hiring sentiment was also evident in the tech sector, which could be impacted by retaliatory measures levied by the EU on digital service providers.
Consumer-driven sectors associated with the domestic economy, which are less directly impacted by the global trading environment experienced quarterly vacancy growth.
These included retail, sport and fitness, and sales.
The catering sector, which includes jobs in hospitality, accounted for the largest number of vacancies in the first three months of the year.
The total number of quarterly job vacancies increased by 5% which IrishJobs said reflected the continued strength of the Irish economy and labour market.
According to the index, the proportion of hybrid working vacancies as a share of total vacancies has increased to 11% over the past three months.
In contrast, the share of fully remote vacancies as a proportion of overall vacancies remains relatively low at 2.4%.
While there was a slight increase in the share of fully remote job vacancies in the first quarter of the year, their availability remains down 80.6% from the peak recorded in 2021.
“As elevated economic uncertainty becomes the new normal, we may see moderating levels of hiring across certain sectors in the coming months,” said Sam Dooley, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.
“These conditions could offer some respite to employers navigating an exceptionally competitive market for talent and provide a window of opportunity for employers to better meet their talent needs over the coming months,” Mr Dooley said.
