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The Biggest Increase in IT Employers Expecting to Hire This Year for Q4
The IT sector is gearing up for a significant hiring surge in Q4 2024. A remarkable 53% of IT employers are planning to expand their teams, driving a 47% increase in Net Employment Outlook (NEO) since Q1 2024. The sector’s NEO has now reached +39%, a substantial rise from just +6% last quarter. This represents the highest level of hiring optimism since the post-pandemic boom, highlighting a renewed confidence within the industry.
The graph below illustrates tech hiring trends in Ireland since 2021. While the market has been volatile—largely influenced by broader economic conditions and post-pandemic hiring patterns followed by retrenchment—Q4 hiring levels are expected to match those last seen in Q4 2021.
Despite this surge in NEO, hiring at volume is expected to remain modest. The demand is heavily skewed towards high-skilled roles, including AI specialists, data engineers, cloud architects, cybersecurity experts, and developers. This aligns with recent findings that 51% of employers anticipate AI adoption will lead to increased headcounts over the next two years.
Regional Spotlight: Dublin’s Tech Sector Rebounds
Dublin, the hub for many of Ireland’s tech multinationals, is leading the charge with a notable uptick in hiring confidence. IT employers in Dublin report a NEO of +41%, a sharp increase from -20% in Q1 and +10% in Q3 of this year. The city also boasts the highest levels of AI adoption among IT employers, with 41% embracing AI technologies.
Large Enterprises Drive Optimism
Large enterprises—those with over 5,000 employees—are also reporting a rebound in hiring optimism. For Q4, 38% of these businesses intend to hire, reflecting a 22 percentage-point increase from last quarter and a 23 percentage-point rise year-over-year.
Overall, the NEO across all industries in Ireland has surged to 29%, with 45% of employers planning to hire in the near term. This widespread optimism underlines a positive outlook for the job market as we move towards the end of 2024.
You can read more in recent publications about our Tech Hiring insights from RTE.
