Ireland

Ireland returned to positive GDP growth in 2011, and the economy continues to gain momentum. Employment increased by almost 10% in the last five years and unemployment rate dropped well below EU average. Very strong employment growth in Ireland is predicted also for 2020-2030 period, accompanied by substantial increase of working age population.

Three sectors are expected to contribute most to the employment growth: Construction, arts & recreation and health & social care. Care workers, business managers and construction workers are expected to create most new job opportunities in the next decade. More than half of job openings (including replacements for vacated jobs) till 2030 will be for high-level qualifications; job opportunities for people with low qualifications will continue to shrink.