The majority, or 73%, of Irish workers have considered relocating to a different county in pursuit of career opportunities and a better lifestyle according to new research by Irish recruitment website, Jobs.ie.

The data also found that the desire to relocate amongst tech professionals is high, with over 74% of IT professionals open to relocating to another county.

Jobs.ie’s data also found that a lifestyle change (57.5%), work-life balance (53.7%) and future career prospects (43.8%) are the key motivators for relocating within Ireland, with Galway (48%), Cork (40%) and Dublin (36%) proving to be the most desirable locations overall.

The majority of those within the tech industry ranked Cork (54%) and Galway (50.3%) among the most desirable locations ahead of Dublin (32%).

Work/life balance (56.8%) proved to be the top motivator for relocation among IT professionals followed by a change in lifestyle (52.2%) and better housing options (50.7%).

Accounting and finance professionals shared a similar view to those working in IT, with a lifestyle change (60%) and work-life balance (57%) among the motivators that would spur a move within Ireland. However, future career prospects (44%) ranked as more important than better housing options (41%) to professionals in this sector.

For professionals working in accounting and finance, most respondents selected the opportunity for international travel (36%), as the most important factor in choosing their career.

For graduates, the reasons for choosing their work location differs greatly, with future career prospects (68%) and wanting to work for a specific company (39%) placing among their top considerations.

Christopher Paye, General Manager at Jobs.ie said the results indicate that companies need to adapt in order to better meet the needs of their employees. Paye added that investing in a remote working protocol or partnering with co-working spaces “will allow employees who wish to, to change their lifestyle or achieve a better work-life balance without the employer sacrificing on productivity, or losing the employee altogether as they look to relocate elsewhere.”