Ireland is a veritable goldmine of career opportunities particularly in the tech industry. After all, Galway, Limerick, Cork, and even Waterford are home to some of the world’s leading companies across a broad range of niches. But then we have Dublin which is an entire job market unto itself. Considered by many to be one of the top tech hubs in Europe and quite possibly the world, the city is home to a slew of multinational companies and startups.
And yes, that means there are job opportunities aplenty. Recent reports suggest that even with an estimated 3,400 job losses in the tech sector over the past year, employers are still struggling to find the right talent for jobs. In fact, 84% of employers in the Dublin area have stated that they have trouble filling roles.
Interestingly, that trend is set to continue for the first half of 2024 despite the fact that many companies are reducing their workforces.
Below, we’ve listed some of the biggest and most reputable companies in Dublin that are still on the hunt for software developers. We’ve also listed some pros and cons relating to working at each employer. Just to note, these are based on employee reviews from sites such as Glassdoor and not the opinions of Software Placements staff.
Google Ireland
As one of the most recognizable names in the tech industry, Google's decision to base its European base of operations in Dublin was something of a coup for the city. The company is well known for its inclusive hiring practices and boasts one of the broadest range of software engineering roles of any company in Dublin or the world for that matter.
Pros:
Attractive compensation packages
Good benefits
Positive work culture
Opportunities for career progression
Cons:
Highly competitive work environment
Demanding workloads
Microsoft Ireland
Microsoft's Dublin campus is a core part of its global operations. The company has played a significant role in the development of Dublin’s tech industry since it opened its first small manufacturing plant back in 1985. Microsoft currently employs around 3,500 people in Ireland and that doesn’t include the 2,000 employees at LinkedIn which the company took over in 2016. Microsoft offers roles in areas like software development, system engineering, and product design.
Pros:
Impressive career growth opportunities
Excellent benefits
Keen focus on work-life balance
Diverse and inclusive culture
Cons:
Competitive work environment
Leadership hindered by bureaucratic processes
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon’s growing presence in Dublin says a lot about the importance of the city in the tech industry. Of the company’s 5,000 employees in Ireland, the vast majority of the workforce works in AWS designing, building, and maintaining the infrastructure and services that power Amazon's cloud platform. The company is known for competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and a culture of innovation.
Pros:
Great learning opportunities
Competitive salaries
Innovative environment
Diverse workforce
Cons:
Demanding work culture
Bureaucratic hurdles
IBM Ireland
IBM's long-standing presence in Dublin has seen the company grow to become one of the largest employers in tech. There are currently around 3,000 people working for the company in Ireland with a large number of those working in software engineering. Although, it has to be said that not quite as many work in this area at IBM as other companies on this list. Nevertheless, there are still some great opportunities for the right talented engineers at IBM.
Pros:
Diversity and inclusion
Work-life balance
Learning opportunities
Diverse workforce
Cons:
Demanding targets
Changes take time
HubSpot Dublin
HubSpot is one of the leading developers of inbound marketing and sales software tools and products. Its Dublin office is the headquarters for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and employs about 1300 people in the city. Software engineers here are said to work in a fast-paced, agile environment that thrives on innovation. HubSpot is famed for its vibrant company culture and emphasis on employee wellbeing.
Pros:
Excellent company culture
Work-life balance
Clear growth opportunities
Great benefits
Cons:
Demanding work
A little too fast-paced for some
Stripe Ireland
Stripe took on the might of PayPal and has carved for itself a niche within the payment processing sector. The company has its software engineering base in Dublin and so there are always opportunities for the right talented individuals. Stripe's work culture is characterised by a focus on innovation, growth, and a commitment to building better economic infrastructure.
Pros:
String work culture
Innovation encouraged
Good compensation
Diverse workforce
Cons:
Heavy workloads
Demanding KPIs
Who is Hiring Right Now?
As noted earlier, the tech job landscape may look a little bleak at first glance given that most of the companies listed above have laid off some employees over the past year. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are all still hiring for essential software engineering roles.
The talent shortage is a very real issue despite layoffs and will continue to be a pain point for these employers over the next decade. The latest studies show that by 2030, the tech talent shortage of developers and engineers will make up a significant percentage of the 85.2 million skilled work vacancies.
Right now, a cursory glance at the latest opportunities in Dublin will show you that, at the time of writing, there are as many 900+ software engineering roles available in the city. And even when that number is whittled down based on seniority level and required experience, there are still countless opportunities for engineers at all levels.
So if you’re a software engineer with Dublin on your radar, the outlook is certainly positive not only with the companies listed above but also with practically every tech firm in the city. The fact remains that despite economic downturns, companies and the world will always need software engineers.
If software engineering is a role that you are passionate about and you’d like to learn more about the opportunities available here in Ireland, get in touch with Software Placements. We’ll be only too happy to help you take the next step in your career.