Saturday, January 21, 2017

Meeting the Demand for IT Jobs

Most weeks I receive a question or two from people looking to come to Ireland hoping to study, work, and live. I thought I'd post my response here hoping other folks might find it of benefit.

The questions, received this morning, are:


 
Hi,

I am planning to take masters in ireland. I got an offer from NCI in MS cloud computing. I have also applied to Univ of cork and Trinity, waiting for them to revert with a confirmation.

Sir can you please share me the Job market in IT sector ? competition will be high ?
Even if I land up in a job in IT sector , will I be able to get a PR.

Awaiting for your response.

The Answers:
 First - congratulations to this person on your offer from NCI (National College of Ireland). It's a great school and I surely hope you'll enjoy the experience. And I must say I wish you luck with the University of Cork and Trinity. You might look at CIT (Cork Institute of Technology) which also has a fine IT programme.

Too, your choice of studying for an MS in cloud computing seems to me to be spot on. So many companies are hiring in this area. After all, cloud computing is a burgeoning area of growth, and companies simply cannot find enough qualified people to keep up with their requirements.

With regards to your questions: "Can you please share with me the job market in the IT sector in Ireland?  Answer: do a simple Google trawl. This morning I used only one key phrases: IT CLOUD COMPUTING JOBS IN IRELAND. Google came back to me with any number of pages. Here's just one: http://www.irishjobs.ie/Cloud-Computing-Jobs. Take a look and you'll see a good few opportunities on this page alone. Take a look at the other links and you'll find any number of great prospects.

You ask if competition will be high? The answer is Yes, of course it will. But not for the reasons you might expect. Right now there is a shortage of skilled IT personnel in Ireland. Companies seem to be falling all over themselves to attract the right people. But the key phrase here is: "The right people." They're looking for smart, motivated, hard-working folks who will bring needed skills to fill a resource gap. And I'm certain that if you study hard and connect with people and companies during your studies, you'll do just fine.

Finally you ask about Permanent Residency. That's tougher but not impossible. I suggest you go to a previous post I've written to answer this question. Go to: http://survivingireland.blogspot.ie/2016/11/getting-job-and-living-in-ireland-trump.html for more information. Too, when you start your studies Career Guidance people at your college or university will be able to help.

Wishing you so much luck!

Tom

A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Kindle Edition Now Available!

If this blog interests you and you want to learn more about Ireland why not consider purchasing A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Edition. Are you thinking about living and working in Ireland? Would you like to move to Ireland? Do you want to know how to get an Irish work visa in this country? Do you need to know how Brexit and Trump policies may affect your plans? If so, consider purchasing the 2017 edition of A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland by Tom Richards. Now almost 90,000 words long, this book could make the perfect gift for  those interested in this wonderful country. Over 14,000 people have now learned how to live, laugh, and drink like the Irish by reading this Kindle ebook. I hope you enjoy, and my very best - Tom




Thursday, January 19, 2017

Brexit Slams Irish Food and Drink Exports to the Tune of €570 million in Lost Potential Sales

Ireland is caught in an economic vice. Brexit hasn't even happened yet and already the Irish economy is feeling the bitter winds inbound from just over the Irish Sea.

A few days ago, Bord Bia - that wonderful state agency responsible for monitoring Ireland's food and drink industry - reported that the fall in the value of Sterling has already wiped out €570 million in potential exports within this industry. That's a hell-of-a-lot of euro. (see RTE reporter George Lee's article on additional downsides due to Brexit). What's shiveringly possible is: the spectre of Brexit could result in yet another wave of unemployment sweeping into this country.

The impact of Brexit is difficult to fully predict. We do not yet know if the United Kingdom will push tariffs on a variety of products down our throats. If they do prices of Irish exports into the UK will skyrocket, further dampening the suddenly fragile Irish economic recovery. The government is taking some action by pro-actively consulting with Irish exporters. Many companies here depend largely on UK exports to make a profit and survive. The Irish government is suggesting it's time to diversify to other nations in order to mitigate risk. However, gearing up to serve the needs of other countries can be a relatively long process. In the meantime, those employed by Irish companies who are dependent on Britain as a key export market are going to have to take a huge breath and cross their fingers, hoping they'll be able to keep their jobs as the ramification of Brexit becomes clearer.

Job Opportunities Due to Brexit

But all is not lost. Ireland is still hiring big-time within key industries. It turns out that Brexit may have a silver lining after all. Many UK-based companies, fearing a loss of free-trade movement throughout the EU, are considering a relocation to Ireland. For that reason, legal, accounting, and professional services could see a significant rise in employment opportunities.

Other industries are also gearing  up despite - or because - of Brexit. Folks with skills in digital marketing, engineers of all types, pharmaceutical specialists, guys and gals with experience in global sales and marketing, IT, nurses and doctors, people with construction experience - all are still in great demand.

So much so that many companies are recruiting Irish citizens who left this country to immigrate abroad during the bad years in order to survive. Today, businesses are reaching out to the great Irish diaspora, hoping to lure many of these people back home to fill their skills shortages.

So yes. The impact from Brexit will certainly shake Ireland's economy and the job prospects that go with a recovery. But - the uncertainly of Brexit could also deliver more opportunities to this country.

For more information take a look at a December article by The Irish Examiner. A thoughtful - and hope-filled - piece.

A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Kindle Edition Now Available!

If this blog interests you and you want to learn more about Ireland why not consider purchasing A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Edition. Are you thinking about living and working in Ireland? Would you like to move to Ireland? Do you want to know how to get an Irish work visa in this country? Do you need to know how Brexit and Trump policies may affect your plans? If so, consider purchasing the 2017 edition of A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland by Tom Richards. Now almost 90,000 words long, this book could make the perfect gift for  those interested in this wonderful country. Over 14,000 people have now learned how to live, laugh, and drink like the Irish by reading this Kindle ebook. I hope you enjoy, and my very best - Tom



Thank You for 105K+ Visits

When I started this blog in 2009, and if I'm honest, I did so for a fairly simple reason. Since moving to Ireland in 1982 many of my (mostly) American friends kept asking me the same questions over and over again:

"Why in God's name did you ever move to Ireland? You must have been mad!"

"Can I move to Ireland too? Like, I mean, it's simple, right?"

"How can I get a job in Ireland? I'm sure all I have to do is show up, don't I?"

"Ireland must be so quaint! Do people still use donkey carts to get around?"

The simplicity (and complete lack of knowledge) behind some of these questions could only make me smile. Anyway, I got tired of answering the same questions and in a moment of knee-jerk response started this blog. The results have been beyond my wildest dreams.

This morning, the statistical tools of this simple humble blog hit 105,000 unique visits. That's a heck of a lot a visitors and I'm glad you didn't show up at my small house in Eyeries all at once. I'm certain I would have run out of tea, coffee, beer, and anything else I can think of.

So thank you. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your support. And as always: if I can answer a question let me know. I'll get back to you and do my best to point you in the right direction.

With my very best regards to all of you,

Tom
Eyeries, Beara, County Cork Ireland

A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Kindle Edition Now Available!

If this blog interests you and you want to learn more about Ireland why not consider purchasing A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland 2017 Edition. Are you thinking about living and working in Ireland? Would you like to move to Ireland? Do you want to know how to get an Irish work visa in this country? Do you need to know how Brexit and Trump policies may affect your plans? If so, consider purchasing the 2017 edition of A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland by Tom Richards. Now almost 90,000 words long, this book could make the perfect gift for  those interested in this wonderful country. Over 14,000 people have now learned how to live, laugh, and drink like the Irish by reading this Kindle ebook. I hope you enjoy, and my very best - Tom