By Kirstie McDermott
Ireland began to establish its tech credentials in the early 2000s with the arrival of industry behemoth Google, which moved its European headquarters to Dublin in 2004.
The city is now seen as one of Europe’s leading tech hubs, and is home to the EMEA headquarters for a large array of big tech companies, including Hubspot and Indeed.
While there are a few different areas of concentration in the city and its environs, including a cluster to the west (home to PayPal and eBay), and another in the southern suburbs (where you’ll find Microsoft and Salesforce), it is Dublin’s docklands area — nicknamed “Silicon Docks”’ — that attracts the most attention.
Just a short stroll from the city centre proper, this area is home to a thriving collection of start-ups, scale-ups and big national and international firms across the financial and tech sectors, all mixed in with great places to eat, drink and discover.
Like all urban centres, Dublin isn’t perfect. Drawbacks include a high cost of living (somewhat tempered by high wages in the tech sector), housing scarcity and rising inflation.
Despite some negatives, it remains a great place to carve out a tech career. Here are four reasons why.
1. Plenty of opportunity
Opportunity knocks, with more than 90,766 people employed in information and communications technology (ICT) across 5,178 companies, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Around 4,400 of these were actually domestic companies, with these organisations accounting for almost half of employment across the entire sector.
Since the advent of Brexit, Ireland is now the only English-speaking country in the European Union. The new restrictions between the EU and the UK are having some positive benefits for Ireland’s digitally-intensive sectors.
Acting as a gateway to the rest of the bloc, which is an attractive prospect for multinational companies, Ireland also has a young and highly-educated workforce.
Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s annual Education at a Glance report last year placed Ireland in the top three of the 38 OECD member countries for its rate of third-level education attainment.
The report found that 54 per cent of Irish people have achieved third-level education, 13 points higher than the OECD average of 41 per cent. It also stated that 63 per cent of 18-24 year olds in Ireland are currently in education, compared to the EU average of 59 per cent.
To discover your own opportunity here, check out this Cloud Software Developer (Java/Go) role at Ryanair. You will work closely with the company’s development and product team to develop, modify and support Ryanair’s applications, website and user interfaces across all channels.
2. High wages
If you are working in the tech sector in Dublin, then you are part of a cohort of workers with the highest annual earnings in Ireland, according to data from the CSO.
Tech employees received a total of €8.5 billion in wages in 2019, with local companies paying out €2 billion that year.
Also according to the CSO, average annual earnings were €45,324 in 2022, an increase of 2.4 per cent from 2021. The tech sector scores significantly higher, with median earnings of €73,500. In-demand jobs include Java developers, project managers and DevOps.
Guidewire Software is seeking a Design (UX) Researcher in Dublin right now. You’ll be in charge of guiding, organising, and executing research. Working with support from the lead design researcher, you will help UX designers and product managers in Dublin and Poland to determine when and how the research will help them make better business and design decisions.
3. Innovation is supported
According to EU data, venture capital funding into Irish SMEs increased by 34 per cent to €309 million in the third quarter of 2022, bringing the total above the €1 billion mark.
The leading areas were cybersecurity and fintech, each raising 28 per cent of total funding.
A wide range of support and funding is available for startups here, including numerous campus incubation centres, plus financial support from the government for SMEs and start-up companies. The national startup accelerator programme (NDRC) is also on hand to support globally ambitious tech entrepreneurs in Ireland.
For those looking to work in a long-established company, Deloitte is seeking a Data Privacy Senior Manager in Dublin to identify new internet regulations that could impact clients’ strategic direction, helping establish governance, risk and compliance capabilities across large clients, including setting up specific second line functions such as trust and safety.
4. It’s a great place to live
Dublin is a great place to work, and despite high rents and a dearth of housing, it remains an attractive place to live, offering an urban experience combined with easy access to nature.
You can easily walk or cycle anywhere you need to go in the city, and there are plenty of parks and green spaces where you can enjoy some fresh air after a long day at the office. Additionally, Dublin is on the coast, and boasts many places to swim and walk its sandy beaches.
Dublin is next to Co Wicklow, home to the Wicklow mountains, which offer a variety of hiking and climbing opportunities.
For those interested in culture, there are thriving theatre and music scenes, plenty of free-to-enter art galleries and museums, high quality restaurants and of course, a multitude of its famous pubs.
Discover your next career opportunity in Dublin or check out jobs across the EU on Euronews.jobs today.