Ireland’s shortage of tech talent will continue as candidates choose to move outside of Ireland for jobs, despite demand for candidates remaining high, according to a report from Dublin-based recruitment firm Prosperity.

The report added that it was seeing a substantial number of foreign candidates rejecting a move to Ireland because of the rental crisis in Dublin.

“Sourcing talent is often their primary challenge, and if that challenge cannot be addressed, many of these companies can suffer an impediment to growth and even viability,” Prosperity’s managing director, Gary Mullan, said. “That challenge is being met with strong salaries, benefits, sponsorship, relocation packages, and in many cases the opportunity for candidates to align their career with strong brands or highly innovative digital services and products.”

Prosperity stated that there remains an acute shortage of candidates in particular areas with 46% of tech roles posted by employers being developer roles, with UI designers and user experience design candidates in short supply.

Meanwhile, Prosperity added that Irish universities do not create nearly enough graduates to fulfil the demands of the multinational and indigenous Digital and Tech sectors in Ireland. “Therefore, there is a reliance on attracting foreign talent to Ireland, and in recent years, as many as 40% of staff placed by Prosperity have originated from abroad. This reliance of local demand on international supply is now being jeopardised by the increasing cost of living here; in particular the cost and the availability of rental accommodation,” the report stated.

Prosperity has reported strong demand for strategic planners, web usability experts, analytics specialists and digital account managers.

“While there are headwinds, there does remain considerable hiring activity in the Irish digital and tech sectors,” Mullan said. “The recessionary pressures of former years have eased, if not evaporated, and companies here are generally underpinned by sound financials and projections, or indeed international profiles.”