Demand for healthcare professionals reflected

Dublin job postings related to the health sector rose to become the top category in February 2023, according to data from Indeed. The volumes of postings for healthcare assistants and registered nurses both rose YoY, reflecting the high demands on the health system in winter 2022/2023. Healthcare assistants were most in demand in Dublin in the month, followed by cleaners and registered nurses. Postings related to sales and aftersales also remained in demand at the start of the New Year. Sales assistants, retail sales associates and customer service representatives all featured in the top 10 most common postings in the month.

International Rankings Highlight Dublin as a Leading European Region

Internationally published benchmarks are a useful means of measuring a city’s performance relative to its peers, and recent indicators for Dublin confirm the city’s strong showing across a range of dimensions (see table opposite).

The Best Small Region in Europe for a Fifth Consecutive Year

Dublin has been ranked as the best-in-class of small European Cities and Regions of the Future for a fifth consecutive year, according to fDi Intelligence. The Capital also climbed to third position of major European cities of the future. The strong performances were based on Dublin’s economic potential (ranked 1st in Europe), FDI strategy (2nd) and business friendliness (4th). The report highlighted robust inbound capital expenditure of $25.6 billion in the five years to 2022, and stated that “the region is Ireland’s economic powerhouse and benefits from the city of Dublin’s financial centre, talent pools and business infrastructure”.

Improving Environment for Women Entrepreneurs

Dublin has been ranked 23rd of 55 cities globally for its ability to attract and support high-potential women entrepreneurs, according to Dell Research. The Capital’s mid-table ranking belies the progress made since the benchmark year of 2017 when it placed in 34th position. The city recorded the third-highest 'momentum' score which highlights the most improved locations since 2017. It also ranked 7th on the list of most advanced cities for women entrepreneurs in technology, and 8th for gender equality in leadership in the tech sector. The talented workforce available in this sector was specifically flagged as an advantage in Dublin in the rankings which were topped by London, New York and San Francisco.

A Hub for Digital Nomads

Dublin has been named as one of the top European destinations for digital nomads in 2023. Holiday rentals marketplace, HomeToGo, placed Dublin in 5th position in its 2023 Workation Index of more than 150 cities. The Capital performed well on metrics related to co-work spaces and vacation rental prices for workers seeking destinations to combine work with a vacation. Dublin’s lowest score was for ‘things to do’, which chimes with the InterNations findings below. The Portuguese cities of Lisbon and Porto topped the ranking, with Limerick (70), Belfast (87) and Cork (128) all featuring.

Quality of Life Challenges for Expats

Despite the progress made in certain areas, Dublin has been ranked in 37th position out of 50 cities worldwide by expats for travel, health and cost of living. Most notably, the InterNations ranking placed Dublin in 47th position for quality of life, due to its poor performance on health and well-being (50th), travel and transit (46th) and leisure options (45th). Healthcare was particularly problematic with almost four in ten expats unhappy with its availability in Dublin, and 42% dissatisfied with the quality of medical care. The Capital’s rankings were stronger for career prospects (2nd), work culture and satisfaction (4th) and local friendliness (10th). The city was described as “a great place for expats to work, a hard place for them to live” in the rankings which placed Valencia in top position.