While half of Irish employers said they hope to increase staff salaries in 2021, employees were less optimistic about the year ahead.
Job site Indeed has published the results of a recent survey exploring career prospects in 2021. It asked more than 17,500 people across Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, the US, Australia, India, Singapore and Canada to share their thoughts on the matter. There were 1,000 employees and 250 employers surveyed in each country.
More than half (63pc) of the employers surveyed in Ireland reported feeling optimistic about 2021 hiring prospects. This was higher than the global average of 54pc. Half of Irish employers also said they are hoping to give their employees pay rises this year. Limerick-based employers were most optimistic about pay rises, followed by those in Galway, Dublin, Cork and Waterford.
Many of the employees who responded didn’t feel the same way, however. This echoes another recent survey on remote working from Arkphire, which highlighted a possible ‘perception chasm’ between employers and staff.
Indeed’s survey suggests there may be a similar divide when it comes to career prospects for the year ahead, with 43pc of workers reporting a lack of optimism about the job market and 48pc about pay increases.
“It’s encouraging to see Irish employers regaining their confidence in workforce planning,” said Indeed vice-president Derek Diviney said. “Despite short-term lockdown uncertainty, the vaccine has provided a much-needed boost to the longer-term business outlook.
“Naturally, we can see that worker outlook is bruised from a very tough year, but this does not match employer optimism for future hiring, which is good news for those looking to switch or regain employment this year.
“Employer confidence in the talent pipeline is crucial to support business growth. The fact that Irish employers were the most confident about this out of all the countries surveyed indicates the talent pool here is strong overall and has a diverse skillset ready to meet their needs.”
