Menu
Expat.com

Working in Ireland

Finding work in Ireland
Shutterstock.com
Updated byAnne-Lise Mtyon 30 April 2020

The Irish economy is a strong one, with decent levels of economic growth and low levels of unemployment. There are many multinational companies with their European bases in Ireland, which means that there are jobs in a variety of different sectors. The process of finding a job is pretty straightforward and will be similar to a lot of other countries. 

Where to look for a job in Ireland

There are a few different places to go about finding a job in Ireland. Naturally, if you have any contacts in the country, this can be an easy way to get your foot in the door if they have or know about any job vacancies going in your field of expertise. Otherwise, there are many job websites that you can check to see what is on offer. Below are some of them:

Jobs in Ireland 
Irish Jobs
Jobs.ie
Monster
Simply Hired
Indeed

There are also recruitment agencies working across Ireland which will take a lot of the searching out of your hands. This allows you to focus instead on preparing for interviews, as they will find suitable employment opportunities according to your profile. Some of the most popular recruitment agencies include; Sigmar Recruitment, Hays Recruitment, Morgan McKinley and FRS Recruitment.

There are regular career fairs taking place in Ireland where companies go to advertise new job opportunities. This gives you a good insight into what they are looking for, and you can meet other employees in the flesh before committing to anything. Other places that will have jobs advertised will include newspapers and notice boards. Word of mouth is another powerful tool. 

The most promising fields for expats in Ireland

There are a number of industries that are always looking for skilled workers. The demand for workers is constant, and it looks set to stay that way going into the future. Many multinational tech companies are basing their European operations in Ireland, so there are a lot of interesting positions in this sector. Pharmaceuticals is a big business in Ireland, and these companies are constantly expanding their staff base. Other promising fields include finance, IT and healthcare. Learn more about the Irish labour market.

Preparing for a job interview in Ireland

Consider getting a free CV review at TopCV. Once you have your CV/resumé up to date and you have successfully secured some job interviews, then you will need to prepare for the challenge ahead. 

The interview process will depend on what industry the job is in, but generally, there will be face to face with a couple of people from the company. They will talk to you about the role and ask you questions to see if you would be a good fit. To prepare for this part of the interview, you should research the company and in particular their operations in Ireland if they are a multinational company. 

You should know the different positions you would be asked to fulfil as part of the role and be prepared to showcase why you would be a good fit to carry out these tasks to a high standard. 

Often, there will be some type of assessment as part of the interview process. This could be a questionnaire or a case study on which you will have to answer some questions. This will ensure that you are competent in given areas that will be important for the job. You will be able to find a variety of sample tests for your respective industry online if this is the case. 

We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.

About

Anne-Lise studied Psychology for 4 years in the UK before finding her way back to Mauritius and being a journalist for 3 years and heading Expat.com's editorial department for 5. She loves politics, books, tea, running, swimming, hiking...

Back to Ireland expat guide

Comments

  • Guest
    Guest15 years ago(Modified)
    Good advice, although this article fails to mention that Irish work permits are impossible to get due to new Irish legislation on foreign workers. The only way to procure a work permit is to be screened, interviewed and hired by a local or multinational company and have them do the footwork to help you get the work permit. Unfortunately, companies mostly refuse to hire non-EU workers! Do your homework beforehand, but don't just show up in Ireland and expect to find work. :)

See also

  • Internships in Ireland
    Internships in Ireland

    Internships are an excellent way for someone to get experience in a given field and to see if it is a good fit for ...

  • Working in Dublin
    Working in Dublin

    Of all the jobs in Ireland, 30% of them are in Dublin. The capital city is a popular destination for foreign ...

  • The Dublin labour market
    The Dublin labour market

    Almost a third of the population of Ireland lives in Dublin. Despite Ireland being a relatively small country in ...

  • The work culture in Dublin
    The work culture in Dublin

    Whenever you move to a new city or country, it will take some time for you to get used to the standard practices ...

  • Working in Cork
    Working in Cork

    Cork is the biggest county in Ireland in terms of size, which is why a lot of locals like to refer to it as being ...

  • Travelling to Ireland
    Travelling to Ireland

    If you are planning to travel to the beautiful island of Ireland, it is important that you are aware of any ...

  • Cost of living in Ireland
    Cost of living in Ireland

    It should be noted that in general the cost of living in the Republic of Ireland is decreasing. However, as ...

  • Studying make-up in Ireland
    Studying make-up in Ireland

    If you are from overseas, you can still study in Ireland and without paying a fortune. Overseas students ...

All of Ireland's guide articles