By Sonja Hakala, AIRS Staff Writer
Of all the success stories with IT at their core, Ireland's economic turnaround is among the most compelling. In the course of just a decade, Ireland has transformed itself from a nation known for its lyrical poverty and chronic under-employment to a country with a reputation for its mighty IT muscles.
Molly O'Boyle, a member of Verizon Online's staffing team, recalled her travels to the Emerald Isle in 1990, "At the time, there was a 30 percent unemployment rate in Dublin. All people cared about was soccer! But I know that has changed."
Changed indeed. Long accustomed to sending its best and brightest people to America, Asia and other European nations in search of work, Ireland is now, for the first time in anyone's memory, working hard to entice top talent to its own shores from around the globe. No longer a wading pool for recruiters from abroad, Ireland is going head-to-head with candidate seekers to keep its native daughters and sons at home.
"Ireland has really come into its own in the last three or four years," said Eamonn Coleman, a recruiter for Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. "Prior to this, Ireland had mini-booms many times but nothing compared to its current prosperity."
From Brain Drain To Brain Gain
What changed Ireland from a backwater country with a constant outflow of its best and brightest people into a roaring Celtic tiger where hopeful recruiters, on the lookout for likely candidates, meet every plane that flies into Dublin's airport?
While simple on the surface, the Irish recipe for success demanded a national commitment over the long term. Starting in the mid-1970s, the Irish government slashed its taxes on business (they're currently 70 percent lower than anywhere else in Europe); invested millions of dollars in higher education for its young people; and made a nationwide effort to build the infrastructure necessary to support the growth of technology.
This effort has paid off handsomely. The Irish government's figures for the third quarter of 2000 record a 3.8 percent unemployment rate and an annual growth rate of 8.7 percent. Nearly 500 companies, many of them among the top U.S. firms such as Aetna, Microsoft, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Apple and Gateway, have set up shop in Ireland. More than 1,500 Irish emigres return home every month and the government recently announced plans to import 200,000 more skilled workers to meet the demand for talent in Ireland.
"Because Ireland is part of the EEC (European Economic Community), it does not require visas from other member countries," Coleman said. "I talked to one recruiter recently who was hiring people from Poland to work in Ireland."
Worth the Effort
In spite of the tight talent market in Ireland, there's a lot for U.S. recruiters to get excited about in the standard profile of a candidate from this country. Forty percent of the population is under the age of 25, a time of life when people are usually more willing to relocate. There is a nationwide literacy rate of 98 percent, nearly everyone speaks English, and students are graduating with enviable skills from schools such as the Dublin Institute of Technology and University College, Galway.
Irish Entrepreneurs Seeking Adventure Look to the Venture Fund
But be aware that the Irish government is doing whatever it can to keep its homegrown talent at home. This governmental effort includes a standing offer of venture capital for those native-born people who want to start new businesses at home. This venture capital fund, which now stands at $300 million, is partially responsible for the success of Irish firms such as Trintech and Iona.
Ordinarily, U.S. recruiters would have inducements such as high salaries, exciting places to live and cutting edge projects to tempt candidates from Ireland. But as the economy strengthens in the land of leprechauns, these temptations are losing their lustre. Dubliners boast of their city's international reputation as the hottest place to live on the globe. Irish salaries are comparable to those elsewhere. And because of the influx of global business, Ireland competes head-to-head with the United States as the leading exporter of software in the world. Cutting edge projects abound at home.
Not that U.S. recruiters should write Ireland off. Just be aware that the country's healthy economy and government support for homegrown startups now make it much easier for an Irish IT specialist to stay very comfortable right at home.
-- Sonja Hakala is a journalist and Web explorer for AIRS. This article is reprinted by permission from AIRS, a global leader in Internet recruitment, tools, news and information. For more information on AIRS, please go to: http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/airs.php. Copyright © Hanover Capital Management Corporation 1997-2001. All Rights Reserved
