Key Points:

  • The level of Irish job postings on Indeed has fallen from a year ago but remains more than 20% above February 2020 levels.
  • Occupations including social service, healthcare and education are among those where job postings are furthest above pre-pandemic levels. Tech and professional categories are among the laggards.
  • Job posting levels in Dublin continue to underperform, partly reflecting Dublin’s greater exposure to slowdowns in professional categories.

Irish job postings on Indeed have continued to retreat from post-pandemic highs. As of 7 June, the Indeed Job Postings Index for Ireland — a real-time measure of labour market activity — was down 19% from its level one year ago, though it remains 21% above its 1 February 2020, pre-pandemic baseline (seasonally adjusted). Growth momentum in the Irish economy remains strong, supporting a still-solid level of hiring demand.  

A line graph titled “Irish job postings have continued to cool” showing the percentage change in job postings on Indeed in Ireland since 1 February 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 7 June 2024. There was a 21% change in job postings on Indeed Ireland from 1 February 2020 to 7 June  2024.
A line graph titled “Irish job postings have continued to cool” showing the percentage change in job postings on Indeed in Ireland since 1 February 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 7 June 2024. There was a 21% change in job postings on Indeed Ireland from 1 February 2020 to 7 June  2024.

Some categories have boomed while others lag

There continues to be considerable variation in the strength of job postings across occupational categories. Public sector-related occupations including social service, healthcare and education feature prominently among those categories where job postings are furthest above pre-pandemic levels. Tech and professional categories are among the laggards. 

Table titled “Some categories have boomed while others lag.” Indeed compared the trend in Irish job postings, between 1 February 2020, and 7 June 2024 across selected occupational categories. The strongest performers were community & social service and personal care & home health, while the weakest performers were mathematics and IT operations & helpdesk.
Table titled “Some categories have boomed while others lag.” Indeed compared the trend in Irish job postings, between 1 February 2020, and 7 June 2024 across selected occupational categories. The strongest performers were community & social service and personal care & home health, while the weakest performers were mathematics and IT operations & helpdesk.

Dublin underperformance continues

Job posting levels in Dublin continue to underperform and are now 11% below their pre-pandemic level, partly a reflection of Dublin’s greater exposure to slowdowns in professional categories. Job postings remain above pre-pandemic levels in all other counties across Ireland. 

A line graph titled “Dublin underperformance continues” showing a breakdown of the percentage change in job postings on Indeed Ireland since 1 February 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 7 June 2024, for Dublin versus the rest of Ireland. Dublin’s job posting trend continues to be softer than other large counties.
A line graph titled “Dublin underperformance continues” showing a breakdown of the percentage change in job postings on Indeed Ireland since 1 February 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 7 June 2024, for Dublin versus the rest of Ireland. Dublin’s job posting trend continues to be softer than other large counties.

Methodology

All figures in this blog post are the percentage change in seasonally-adjusted job postings since 1 February 2020, using a seven-day trailing average. 1 February 2020, is our pre-pandemic baseline. We seasonally adjust each series based on historical patterns in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Each series, including the national trend, occupational sectors, and sub-national geographies, is seasonally adjusted separately. We adopted this new methodology in January 2021. 

The number of job postings on Indeed.com, whether related to paid or unpaid job solicitations, is not indicative of potential revenue or earnings of Indeed, which comprises a significant percentage of the HR Technology segment of its parent company, Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Job posting numbers are provided for information purposes only and should not be viewed as an indicator of performance of Indeed or Recruit. Please refer to the Recruit Holdings investor relations website and regulatory filings in Japan for more detailed information on revenue generation by Recruit’s HR Technology segment.