Dublin is an attractive city for both innovative startups and global companies. This also means that it’s a great place to find exciting job opportunities and develop your career. Here, we introduce some essential things you should know about working in Dublin.

Salary levels are above the European average

While the cost of living in Dublin can be high, the good news is that salaries here are also higher than other parts of Europe.

Statistics from Eurostat indicate that salaries here in Ireland are above the European average. At the end of 2023, the average weekly wage was around €921. This figure has been consistently rising too.

To find out what you can expect to be paid in your specific industry, check out our dedicated article on salaries in Ireland.

Full-time workers receive 20 paid holidays each year

While working in Dublin is a great experience, so is the time you get to spend travelling Europe and exploring the rest of the island.

Every day you work contributes toward your paid annual leave. So a full-time worker can expect to receive around four weeks off each year. This is in addition to any days off for public holidays or sick leave. You can find out more about the basics of employment law in Ireland here.

Multinationals employ 250,000 people

According to a 2022 report by IDA Ireland, there are a total of 301,475 people working multinational companies in the country. Ireland is currently the European hub of over 1,000 leading MNCs in various industries.

With many tech, pharma and financial services companies basing their European headquarters in Dublin, the city benefits from many of these opportunities. Google, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, has a workforce of around 5,500. While both Amazon and Facebook employ around 5,000 workers.

You can find opportunities directly on their websites. Alternatively, you can check popular Irish job search sites like Jobs.ie, IrishJobs.ie, Indeed and Monster.ie for a range of openings.

Ireland issues over 16,000 employment permits annually

The number of non-Irish people working in Dublin is on the rise. While those from countries within the UK, the EU and the EEA don’t need a visa or employment permit to work here, people from outside of these areas do.

In 2023, 30,981 employment permits were issued to workers from across 135 different countries. This was slightly lower than 2022’s figures but overall continues a trend of growth. The majority of employment permits were issued to people from India, Brazil, Pakistan, the US, China, the Philippines, Nigeria and South Africa.

You can find out more about Irish immigration visas here. You may also want to read up on skilled worker immigration and the recognition of foreign qualifications in Ireland.

Below, you’ll find out more about what you can expect from working in Dublin. From work culture and lifestyle, through to visa requirements and tax, we’ve got all the most important details covered.

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Why work in Dublin?

Dublin is a global, entrepreneurial city with a bright future – and many people have moved here to share in its success. Here are seven of the top reasons why working in Dublin might be the right move for you too. 1. The robust jobs market Ireland’s GDP growth was expected to decline be 0.9% in 2023 after a stellar performance in recent times as economic activity continues to normalise. Growth is projected to be solid in the coming years though as GDP is forecast to rise by 2.2% in 2024 and 3.8% in 2025. Unemployment rates are projected to remain low in 2024 by historical standards with

doctors and healthcare workers in white coats and blue scrubs gather to look at a chart some come from abroad for job opportunities

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Skill shortages and job opportunities

If you want to work in Dublin, you may be wondering about job opportunities and skill shortages in the city. Ireland’s GDP has been the fastest increasing in Europe since 2017. And this upward trajectory has continued through 2022 with the economy nearly at full employment. Is there still a skills shortage in Ireland? In the second quarter of 2023, the Ireland hit a record-high employment rate of 74.2%, marking its highest ever recorded. Amidst the economic growth, there is also a rising demand for skilled professionals across various industries, which makes it an attractive destination for career g

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Work essentials

According to CSO figures there were approximately 25,500 job vacancies at the end of Q3 2023, down by 8,100 from the end of Q3 2022.. The job vacancy rate currently stands at around 1.2%. The Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector had the highest job vacancy rate at 2.8% in Q3 2023, followed by 2.6% in the Public Administration & Defence sector.

Sean Bryan of Cut & Sew

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Work Stories

Spotlighting the diversity and wealth of talent in Dublin, we tell stories of how the city goes about its work.