Just over 2% of job postings in Ireland explicitly state English is not required for the position, as employers become more flexible to fill vacancies, new research from jobs website Indeed has found.
The research shows 2.4% of all job postings now state English is not required, with the majority of these being in lower paid roles. Cleaning and sanitation had the highest rate of job postings with no English required at 10.7%, followed by beauty and wellness at 8%.
In the construction sector, the rate stands at 7.2%. There are also some better paid job categories which recorded high rates, including electrical engineering at 4.4% and production and manufacturing at 4.3%.
However, other European countries have higher rates of job postings that do not require the native language. The Netherlands has the largest share of postings that do not require knowledge of Dutch, at 7.8%, followed by Spain, with 5.8% not requiring Spanish.
Senior economist at Indeed Jack Kennedy said language requirement shares reflect “deep trends in the labour market” and Irish employers “may be using flexibility with English language skills as a signal for their willingness to hire foreign workers”.
“Unemployment in Ireland has been below 5% since February 2022 and finding staff can be difficult for employers. In cases where it is possible for an employee to do a job well without having a proficiency in English, being flexible on language requirements may assist with recruitment given the relatively low number of such job postings,” he said.