Leaving Ireland to find work and improve your level of experience is a great move for many people, including engineers. You get to immerse yourself in a new culture and expand your horizons. You might also have moved because of the economic difficulties Ireland faced around 10 years ago. What about now?
If you come back regularly to Ireland, you’ll know things have changed considerably and they continue to improve. Ireland is now economically stable again and the economy is growing.
What does this mean for you? It means staying in Ireland instead of just visiting for a few weeks during the year is a real option you should consider.
Stay in Ireland
Of course, you’ll have to get used to the weather again which could be a challenge if you currently live in a warm climate. That said, the weather is one of the very few downsides of coming back to Ireland.
There are lots of upsides, though:
- The cost of living is low, particularly outside Dublin
- You can enjoy Ireland’s rich and diverse culture again
- Mainland Europe is close and easily accessible
- You’ll get to go to a real pub again
- You’ll be back close to friends and family
- Ireland’s the home of the GAA
- Working conditions are better in Ireland than many other countries – you may get more annual leave working for a company here than you do now, for example
- You can watch The Late Late Show on Friday nights
- The infrastructure is better and is improving
- The Guinness tastes better
Okay, you might not regard all the above as being an upside for moving back to Ireland, but the general point remains – Ireland is a great place to live, work, and progress your career.
Opportunities for Engineers
The biggest attraction of Ireland at the moment are the opportunities that are available, particularly for engineers. At SL Controls, we have direct experience with a lot of these opportunities including those for automation engineers, system controls engineers, validation engineers, and engineers with experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.
To get an understanding of just how buoyant the market is, have a look at these facts from IDA Ireland and other sources on the two industries mentioned above: pharmaceutical and medical technology.
Pharmaceutical Sector
- All the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies have operations in Ireland
- Ireland is the world’s seventh-largest exporter of pharmaceutical and medicinal products
- Annual exports are worth €39 billion
- 75 pharmaceutical companies are in Ireland and there are 40 plants approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US.
MedTech Sector
- Growing sector that is seen globally as an emerging hub
- About 25,000 people employed
- Ireland has the second largest amount of employed MedTech professionals in Europe
- Huge export market that is the second largest in Europe
- More than €12.6 billion exported each year
- Exports to more than 100 countries
- Exports from the MedTech sector account for eight percent of total annual merchandise exports in Ireland
- 18 of the top 25 medical technology companies in the world have operations in Ireland
- Ireland has over 300 MedTech companies in total, half of which are Irish companies
There are opportunities in these industries and associated sectors across the country. At SL Controls, for example, we are expanding so have positions for automation systems engineers, control systems engineers, field engineers, and more. These positions are in our offices in Sligo, Limerick, Dublin, and Galway.
There has never been a better time to come back to Ireland. So, take a few moments to explore the employment opportunities – it could be the best decision you’ll make this year.
