NI Connections

Historically, people have traded The Emerald Isle for the bright lights of the big city, in search of fame and fortune, or perhaps just career opportunities not available to them at home.

But we’re happy to tell you that the tables have indeed turned and it’s the place to be in 2025.

In the last few years, our flourishing job market has become one of the biggest reasons for people returning to Northern Ireland. Or not leaving in the first place.

And what’s even better, people from every corner of the planet are now coming to us in their droves. And by people, we mean some of the world’s biggest global brands.

Fortune 500 company Aflac, New York Fintech giant DailyPay and Artificial Intelligence company Ocula Technologies all chose to open offices here in 2024 – creating hundreds of jobs and cementing Northern Ireland’s growing reputation as a hotspot for innovation and economic growth.

So, if you’re a member of the lovely Northern Irish diaspora who is currently on the fence about moving home, keep reading.

To save you some research, we’ve taken a deep dive into Northern Ireland’s most in-demand industries in 2024, to hopefully help you safely over said fence.

(Only joking. Well, kinda.)

Any guesses which industry takes the top spot? Drum roll please…

Healthcare

New research from hiring platform NIjobs has revealed accounts assistants were knocked off the #1 spot, with nurses taking the title for the most in-demand role in 2024.

This is reflective of wider challenges the healthcare sector is facing, including skills shortages, funding pressures, and significant strain due to overwhelming demand caused by the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, if you’re a nurse working in another part of the world, whether in the public or private sector, all you’ve gotta do is make sure your qualifications meet the criteria of the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) and we’d be happy to welcome you back home with open arms. And a fresh pair of scrubs.
 

There were also record levels of job postings for healthcare assistants, associate dentists, physiotherapists and mental health support workers in 2024 – a trend that’s expected to continue in the years ahead.

Construction

Comin’ in hot at number 2 is quantity surveyors.

If estimating costs, calculating material needs and mapping out project timelines is right up your street, then now is as good a time as any for you to move back home, as Northern Ireland endeavor to meet housing demand targets in 2025 and beyond.

Site managers, plumbers and health and safety officers also ranked high on the list. Our Communities Minister Gordon Lyons recently announced ambitious plans to build 100,000 homes in Northern Ireland by 2039, so if you’ve got these skills, we reckon finding a job will be a breeze.

Accounting

The third, fourth and fifth most in-demand roles were within the accountancy sector in 2024. This is down to our growing economy, relatively small pool of qualified accountants and the increasing complexity of financial regulations.

Here's the way we see it: if you’re going to crunch numbers on a daily basis, you might as well do it while looking out the window at our world-class scenery, eh?

Whether you’re an accounts manager, bookkeeper, financial analyst, tax manager or payroll administrator, there are more opportunities here than we can count.  

(We can’t count them, but you might be able to).

STEM

Careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) have dominated Northern Ireland’s most wanted list for a good while now. 

Although they’ve fallen slightly down the list, they are still very much in high demand, as our technology and research continue to evolve at a rapid rate.

Where do you think is the #1 international investment location for US cyber security firms?

Singapore? Canada? Japan? Germany?

We’d forgive you if you thought it would be one of those countries. But no, it’s little ‘ole Northern Ireland.

World-leading tech companies, including Fujitsu, SAP, Microsoft, Nvidia, Rapid7, and Whitehat Security, have chosen to set up here, but brilliant locally-owned firms are popping up here, there and everywhere too.

Kainos, STAT Sports and FD Technologies are some of the biggies who are exporting across the world and making waves in the global tech scene.

So if CAD, C#, GIS and AI are more than just a bunch of random letters to you, then you’ll be just fine living and working in Northern Ireland.

Other industries worth mentioning include Life & Health Sciences – where the Craigavon-based Almac group are leading the charge and now employing over 7000 staff, and the Film & TV industry, which I’m sure you know are killin’ it on both the big and small screen right now.

Ok so the Film & TV industry didn’t quite make the official 2024 top industries list, but it’s our blog and we can do what we want, yeah? We just wanted an excuse to point you in the direction of some of our previous blogs on the subject. Check ‘em out here and here.

We could go on, but we’ll wrap it up here. If you were thinking about moving back to Northern Ireland, but were worried about your future career prospects, we hope we’ve helped to ease those worries a bit.

Our job market is stronger than ever, with heaps of opportunities across a wide range of sectors and unemployment levels at record lows. We offer the perfect blend of career potential and quality of life, and our average salaries are on the rise too.

Of 2024’s most in-demand industries, IT leads in salary rankings with an average wage of £50.9k per year. Construction takes second place with an average of £45.5k, followed closely by Engineering at £41.5k, Healthcare at £39.7k, and Finance placing fifth at £38.9k.

As well as brilliant opportunities, we have short commute times and the friendliest people in the world as colleagues.

Sure go on, what have you got to lose? Check out https://www.nijobs.com/ and see if anything tickles your fancy.

And if this blog inspires you to apply for a job and pack your suitcase and move home, please let us know. That would make our week.