New research from local recruitment platform NIjobs has unveiled the most sought-after and highest-paying jobs for 2024, with the highest-paid roles in the province remaining in the technology sector.
New research from recruitment platform NIjobs has unveiled the most sought-after and highest-paying jobs for 2024.
The insights are based on data from the NIJobs TalentBank, an all-island CV database of over 1.4 million job candidates, which allows employers to source and connect with talent. An analysis of TalentBank searches by recruiters and employers over the past 12 months reveals the most in-demand professions.
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Quantity Surveyors were the second most sought-after profession, followed by roles within the Accountancy sector, which ranked third to fifth on the list. Site Manager, Plumber, Health and Safety Officer, and Estimator were among the most common construction roles in 2024.
High demand for workers in construction roles has been a recurring feature of recruitment both north and south, indicating growing skills shortages as the market struggles to meet housing demand targets and continues to face supply issues.
For the first time IT roles, which have previously dominated recruitment, failed to feature in the top 10 after ranking third and fifth in 2023.
But IT continues to lead in salary rankings with an average annual pay of £50,900, followed by construction (£45,500) and engineering (£41,500).
Sam Dooley, country director at Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for NIJobs, said: “The Northern Ireland job market experienced record low levels of unemployment in 2024.
“Key skilled professionals in healthcare and construction are highly sought after, with intense competition between employers to attract the best talent.
“The demand for skilled professionals in health and construction indicates a change in recruitment patterns that accountancy, finance, and IT roles would have previously dominated.
“Both are new entries to this year’s list and speak to how the labour market responds to and reflects broader societal and economic trends.
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“When it comes to health, there will be increasing pressure to fill these roles as the sector faces unprecedented demand.
“Communities Minister Gordon Lyons recently announced ambitious plans to build 100,000 homes in Northern Ireland by 2039, which signals that demand for construction workers is unlikely to end soon.”
“Demand has surged for skilled professionals in some sectors, which will likely continue. Businesses must work to tackle the ongoing skills shortages in a very competitive market to attract, develop and retain talent."
IT continues to lead in salary rankings with an average offering of £50.9k per year.
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