Almost 1 in 2 people in Wexford (48%) say they have been headhunted in the last 12 months, according to new research undertaken by leading Irish recruitment agency, FRS Recruitment. Nationally, 54% of people say they have been headhunted over the last year.
Four in five people in Wexford (83%) also believe that changing jobs is the best way to secure the wage they deserve. On a national basis, 1 in 6 employees say they are willing to change jobs for a pay rise of 10% or less, with the number willing to move rising to almost half of all employees (47%) if a salary increase of 20% is on offer.
The FRS Recruitment Employment Insights Report, also found 2 out of 3 people (65%) in Wexford feel they are more likely to progress in their career by moving jobs.
Most of those working in Wexford (83%) believe they could secure a new job in 3 months or less, which is in line with the 84% in the county who felt they could find new employment within that timeframe when the same question was posed last year.
One in six people in the Wexford workforce (17%) currently fear for their job security, down from the 26% of people in the county who were worried at this time last year. The Wexford figure is below the national average, with 47% of people across Ireland saying they are worried about their job security.
Seven out of 10 people (71%) in Wexford say they have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace. While 6 in 10 locals (62%) also believe that AI will impact or replace their job in the future. This is up on last year, when 18% of people in Wexford were worried about the impact AI may have on their jobs.
On a national level, 8 out of 10 people say they have used AI in the workplace and 47% believe it will impact or replace their job in the future. Those most likely to be using AI in the workplace were in the Education and Training (84%), Hospitality and Tourism (84%) or Agriculture, Farming and Agri-Food (83%) sectors. The lowest usage of AI in the workplace was reported amongst those working in IT (72%), Professional Services (69%) or Pharma and Medical Devices (61%).
When it comes the future job impact of AI, those in the IT sector expressed the most concern (64%), followed by Pharma and Medical Devices (52%) and Education and Training (51%). Least worried about AI impacting or replacing their jobs were in Professional Services (43%), Hospitality and Tourism (44%) or Retail as well as Manufacturing and Supply Chain (45%).
Nationally, 58% of employers acknowledge that housing is affecting their hiring practices. Six out of 10 employers in Wexford share this concern (63%). Across Ireland, 2 out of 3 people also say housing has impacted on how they have personally managed their careers. 23% say they stayed in a job for housing reasons and another 23% say they didn’t apply for a particular role due to accommodation concerns, while 1 in 5 (19%) actually applied to a particular job because of housing.
Two out of three Wexford employers (68%) also say they are concerned about the economic outlook.
The survey also found that 1 in 3 employers in Wexford (34%) are hiring at the moment and 1 out of every 6 Wexford based employees are in their first year of working with their current employer.
Speaking about the research, Lynne McCormack, General Manager with FRS Recruitment said, “As we can see, there has been a strong trend towards headhunting from employers in Wexford and around the country over the last 12 months. Given the economy has been at practically full employment for the last couple of years, this aligns with the realities of the market. Employers are finding it more difficult to find qualified personnel for highly skilled positions, with the majority noting the level of candidate suitability has decreased. So they are taking a more proactive approach when it comes to recruitment and this is borne out by the level of headhunting locally in Wexford and all around Ireland.
“Given those market considerations, there is also a stronger focus on remuneration at the moment. Over 8 in every 10 employees in Wexford believe they could get a better salary by changing jobs, while nationally, salaries are the most common reason cited by employers for attrition in their workforces. As many as 1 in 6 employees say they would be willing to change jobs for a 10% pay hike, while 1 in 2 say they will move if a 20% rise is on the table.
“AI is also making a mark in Wexford, with 7 in 10 people saying they have used it in the workplace. While 6 in 10 people locally also fear that AI will impact or replace their jobs in the future, a figure which is below the 47% national average of those who are concerned about how this technology will affect their jobs. With the increased use of AI in many professional environments, it will be interesting to see how attitudes around this technology develop, both in Wexford and across the country.
“Despite the economy being at full employment, the level of confidence in the recruitment market has dropped this year. This is likely the impact of wider developments across the economy, with 2 in 3 employers in Wexford and 6 in 10 on average nationally, acknowledging they are concerned about the economic outlook,” Ms. McCormack concluded.
A total of 1,886 people took part in the survey for this year’s FRS Recruitment Employment Insights Report, which was conducted in April and May. FRS Recruitment has been undertaking this research on an annual basis since 2009 to provide statistics on the changing trends and perspectives of Irish employees and their employers.
