Brightwater Salary Survey 2023

Brightwater
Salary Survey
2023
Brightwater
Overview
It’s been an interesting year overall both economically and in terms of outlook. The While there has been growing concern about global tech giants carrying out layoffs,
year started on a very positive note for employment as organisations began bringing the truth of the matter is that Ireland’s indigenous tech sector has grown significantly
people back into the office albeit most on a limited hybrid working model and this in terms of jobs, revenue, exports and innovation. We are no longer wholly reliant on
positivity mostly continued throughout the year. tech multinationals to shore up employment figures; even the EU has indicated that
the indigenous tech sector will be a driver of future economic growth for the country
Notwithstanding the turbulence of geopolitical events, inflation, the energy crisis and so there is plenty of room for optimism. There is a shortage of technology talent so
Barbara McGrath notable global layoffs from tech giants, Ireland is still the fastest growing economy in anyone laid off should be soon scooped up for other roles. We are also witnessing a
the Eurozone this year with real GDP at +9%, which shatters the previous estimate marked hesitation with candidates when considering some multinationals and a solid
MD, The Brightwater Group
of +5.4%, according to the latest report by the IMF. The good news is this growth preference for indigenous firms.
is expected to continue in 2023 with the latest figures from ESRI promising growth
forecast of just under 4%. It may be a slight downwards adjustment from previous 2023 will see a tentative rise in salaries of between 2-5% across most sectors with
forecasts, but it is still good news for the Irish economy. Ireland can perhaps expect some areas that are suffering a shortage of talent witnessing a rise of up to 10%.
slower growth in 2023 but the defensive export sector will help keep Irish GDP in However, any increases in salaries may well be mitigated somewhat by the pace of
positive figures, reinforcing the country’s resilience. inflation. This leads to employers trying to bolster remuneration packages in other
ways be it flexible or hybrid working models, new employee assistance programmes
There are some notable sectors that are still growing, and which are massive or unique benefits. It is clear that organisations who will succeed in attracting the best
contributors to both employment and the country’s tax take and public finances. In talent in 2023 are those that not only just “accept” remote/hybrid working models
the aftermath of Brexit, the Irish financial services sector saw a boost in activity as but who actively champion it. Employee wellbeing has to be at the heart of every
well as in the number of organisations choosing to set up here to have a European employee retention and attraction strategy.
headquarters in the Eurozone. Employment in this sector has also risen with new
innovations in fintech and paytech being announced on a regular basis. I wish you all a very successful 2023 and if you require more specific analysis of
market trends by sector, please contact your Brightwater Consultant or email our
The life sciences sector too has seen considerable growth. Ireland continues to be a marketing department on salarysurvey@brightwater.ie
pioneer as the sector leads the way in R&D and manufacturing. There are so many
good news stories across this sector this year and there have been some exciting
acquisitions and drug announcements which seem set to guarantee the sector’s
continuing future success.
2 Brightwater Salary Survey 2023 brightwater.ie

Contents
Professional Services Business Services
- Accountancy 5 - Business Support Permanent 84
- Public Practice & Taxation 16 - Business Support Temporary &
- Financial Services 21 Contract 89
- Fund Services 27 - Human Resources 92
- Compliance & Risk 32
- Insurance 36
- Legal 40
Technical Services
- IT Permanent 44
- IT Contract 58
- Engineering 65
- Supply Chain & Logistics 71
- Life Sciences 75
Professional Services
- Accountancy 5
- Public Practice & Taxation 16
- Financial Services 21
- Fund Services 27
- Compliance & Risk 32
- Insurance 36
- Legal 40

Accountancy
Overview
Overall, the demand for skilled accountancy professionals hiring and we expect this to continue into 2023 with all roles
is at an all-time high. This is across the entire market and all being covered from junior to senior.
levels from accounts administration to qualified accountants to
leadership roles. In some cases, supply cannot meet demand Within financial services, the insurance market remains
and the competition for talent remains strong Employers need competitive and in conjunction with this there has also been an
Jean O’Donovan increase across general financial services including investments,
to differentiate them to be attractive to perspective candidates.
Director While the value of a basic salary cannot be underestimated, funds, asset management and corporate services. Retail
other factors such as work life balance, career progression, banking remains stagnant in hiring and we have seen a rise in
overall benefits and a company’s EVP have all become very boutique FS organisations hiring accountancy professionals.
important. While the hires were at a more senior level with a strong focus
on strategy as well as technical accounting, this has increased
Accountancy across all levels of accountants.
Commerce and industry cover a vast remit when it comes The permanent accountancy market is very busy across all
to finance roles, the busiest sectors as always being tech, levels. Back-office type roles such as credit control, payroll,
healthcare, FMCG, Plcs and manufacturing. What we have AP part-qualified accountants etc have continued to increase
noticed in 2022 is some new entrants to the market from a GBS throughout the year and we expect this to continue in 2023.
perspective which has led to an increase in hiring across the Companies are trying to cover off additional workloads internally,
multinational space and this has added a competitive edge to however it is not a long-term feasible solution, and the demand
the market. The SME market is back to pre-pandemic levels of has risen.

Roles/Skills in Demand
Across the qualified market, we have accountant is ever changing, and they are
seen a demand across roles such as a key member in any business especially
Finance Business Partners, Management as companies require strategic thinkers
& Financial Accountants. Senior who can identify potential revenue streams
appointments have increased in terms and control costs. This in turn makes the
of Financial Controller, Finance Manager demand for candidates with this skill set
and Head of Finance roles. This has been highly competitive and, in some cases, they
particularly evident across the sector which are receiving up to 10%-15% increases on
has seen an increase in these hires. basic salaries to move roles.
Technical skills such as IFRS 17 are in In other areas, newly qualified and practice
high demand with the insurers and Big trained accountants remain consistently
4 trained candidates with experience in in demand with the average salary for
financial services/industry are also highly NQ being around €55,000 to €60,000.
The role of the accountant is ever sought after. Although technical skills are It is competitive for candidates with PLC
changing, and they are a key paramount for employers, the soft skills audit/ US GAAP and IFRS. There has been
member in any business. required by candidates for these roles a notable increase in internal audit roles
come as an essential requirement as with increased regulations and risk in the
organisations are rapidly changing and market. Candidates with this skillset can
need to have the wherewithal to respond command a premium.
quickly and commercially. The role of the

Salaries/Benefits
Basic salaries have increased across the permanent accountancy market with most
candidates changing roles receiving a 10-15% increase. Benefits in industry will vary
depending on the size of the business but the Plcs and multinationals would be strong
offering a bonus in the region of 10% dependent on individual and company performance,
health insurance, pension-5-10% employer contribution, EAP, life insurance, death in
service, gym etc.
Benefits offered in Financial Services firms tend to be quite strong and competitive in
general and we have not seen a substantial change in benefits offered compared to
previous years. Most financial services firms are offering bonuses typically in the region of
10% -15% upwards, pension contributions, health insurance (for both individual & family),
life assurance and income protection as well as some companies offering additional perks
such as paid gym membership, lunch allowance etc.

Accountancy Permanent 2023
Qualified
Job Title € Low € High Job Title € Low € High
Financial Director 120,000 180,000 Internal Auditor 58,000 70,000
Financial Controller VP - Director 85,000 120,000 Financial Accountant 58,000 65,000
Finance Manager 80,000 100,000 Management Accountant 58,000 65,000
Internal Audit Manager 80,000 100,000 Newly Qualified Accountant 55,000 60,000
Financial Planning & Analysis Manager 75,000 100,000 Credit Control Manager 55,000 75,000
(FP&A)
Accounts Payable Manager 55,000 75,000
Group Financial Accountant 65,000 75,000
Payroll Manager 55,000 75,000
Finance Business Partner 65,000 80,000
Commercial Accountant 60,000 75,000
Project Accountant 70,000 90,000
Cost Accountant 60,000 75,000
Financial Analyst 55,000 70,000

Part-Qualified
Job Title € Low € High
Finalist 50,000 55,000
Part-Qualified Accountant (1–3 years’ 42,000 50,000
exp.)
Assistant Accountant 40,000 48,000
Accounts Assistant 35,000 42,000
Credit Controller 35,000 50,000
Payroll Administrator 35,000 50,000
Accounts Receivable 35,000 45,000
Accounts Payable 35,000 45,000
Finance Assistant 30,000 35,000

Temp & Contract
The temp and contract market is always a particularly with the back-office roles.
busy area in the accountancy sector. Reasons
for needing contractors continue to remain; With such a busy permanent market, it
maternity leave, holiday cover, headcount can be challenging to attract candidates
freezes, secondments, projects but to name a to temporary and contract opportunities.
few. Looking at the contract market it has two Salaries/ rates need to be competitive. We are
main verticals: Qualified and Non-Qualified seeing increases of up to 10% in some areas
Accounting, back-office accounting roles. Both and would strongly recommend a completion
have seen significant increases in demand and bonus on top for salary – these range from
all indicators are that this trend will continue 10-15% depending on role level. For longer
throughout 2023. term contracts, permanent benefits are being
offered to contract staff particularly in the
Temp and contact hires really spread across larger organisations
the market, however there have been some
notable increases across technology, shared
services, and manufacturing. Financial
services hires have remained consistently busy
and in line with other years and there has been
an increase in SME hiring on a temp basis,

Accountancy Temporary / Contract 2023
Qualified
Job Title € p/hr Low € p/hr High Job Title € p/hr Low € p/hr High
Financial Director 61.53 92.30 Internal Auditor 29.74 35.90
Financial Controller 43.58 61.53 Financial Accountant 29.74 33.33
Finance Manager 41.01 51.28 Management Accountant 29.74 30.76
Internal Audit Manager 41.01 51.28 Newly Qualified Accountant 28.20 30.76
Financial Planning & Analysis Manager 38.46 51.28 Credit Control Manager 28.20 38.46
(FP&A)
Accounts Payable Manager 28.20 38.46
Group Financial Accountant 33.33 38.46
Payroll Manager 28.20 38.46
Finance Business Partner 33.33 41.01
Commercial Accountant 30.76 38.46
Project Accountant 35.90 46.15
Cost Accountant 30.76 38.46

The above hourly rates are candidates’ pay and are exclusive of the employer’s PRSI, holiday pay,
Financial Analyst 28.20 35.90
payroll charges and Brightwater’s management fee. They are based on the candidate working a 37.5
hour week.

Part-Qualified
Job Title € p/hr Low € p/hr High
Finalist 25.64 28.20
Part-Qualified Accountant (1–3 years’ 21.53 25.64
exp.)
Assistant Accountant 20.21 24.61
Accounts Assistant 17.94 21.53
Credit Controller 17.94 25.64
Payroll Administrator 17.94 25.64
Accounts Receivable 17.94 23.07
Accounts Payable 17.94 23.07
Finance Assistant 15.38 17.64
The above hourly rates are candidates’ pay and are exclusive of the employer’s PRSI, holiday pay,
payroll charges and Brightwater’s management fee. They are based on the candidate working a 37.5
hour week.

Conclusion
We are certainly entering into a organisation has a niche “difficult
very competitive accountancy to fill” position if it can be offered
market in 2023 and currently remotely, this will open talent
demand outweighs supply with pools across other jurisdictions,
skilled candidates across the something that has been very
finance field. effective particularly in the contract
space.
Organisations will need to be not
only competitive on salary and
benefits but also on flexibility.
This is the number one driver

in the market now and having a
hybrid working model will be a
Having a hybrid working model key factor in attracting staff. We
will be a key factor in attracting have seen that people can work
staff. very effectively remotely so if an

Accountancy
The Regions: Cork and surrounding areas
When comparing salaries in Cork and the Southwest Regions to Traditionally accounting firms in Cork, the training ground for
those of Dublin, it is widely accepted that we are not comparing so many accountants, this year, young professionals have been
like for like. Salaries in Dublin are on average 10 - 15% higher taking a different route, opting for an industry role over a practice
than the rest of the country, and if Dublin to Ireland is where the training contract due the significant difference in the packages
highest salaries are paid, then Cork in those terms, is the Dublin on offer. The cost-of-living crisis is in evidence here. These young
Tom Wilkinson
of the Southwest Region. professionals have more choices in a busy job market, they have
Commercial Director
also been leaving the profession earlier at all levels to take a
Salaries in Cork traditionally have been comfortably ahead of better paid industry role with a wider range of benefits.
those in Kerry, Clare, and Tipperary as much as 20%, whilst
the likes of Limerick and Waterford would not be too far behind In the professional services job market of 2022 employers’
those of the “Real Capital”. As a result, the movement of young retention policies have been at their most active particularly
professionals post 3rd level education from Kerry to Cork is a in industry and the top tier firms, as they seek to retain staff,
consistent working population trend in the Southwest. in large part through pay rises as well as improvements to
employee benefits and working conditions. Many employees
In the professional services sector this year we have seen pay have received “generous” counter offers from employers at
rises averaging somewhere between 6% & 7% in accounting, the point of resignation.
audit, taxation, and financial services across the region. This
job sector has been extremely busy this year and this is putting
positive pressure on salaries and benefits in industry and in
practice.

Counter offers are prevalent
across professional services
How much can be a hard number to quantify, however in an economy with full
employment, employers see it as an easier option to retain as opposed to recruiting
or re-structuring internally, options not available to every employer particularly those
employing in low numbers.
According to the latest @bankofIreland economic pulse survey Irish companies

are planning to increase pay by just over 4% on average this year, however this is
notably below the inflation rate at current, more than half of Irish employees will
receive same.
Staff retention in 2022 has been largely supported with employers continuing to offer
flexible working conditions post pandemic. Employees continue to put a huge value
on the hybrid working conditions they have become accustomed to, during and post
pandemic.
However, on the flip side of that coin, employees are departing for roles that offer
flexibility in response to their own employers deciding to return to the office, this has
caused movement in the job market across all any sectors.
Cork and Dublin will always compete when it comes to attracting employers
and it is fair to say that Cork is offering a better cost of living in a market where
full employment exists and salaries are on the rise considerably higher than the
national average.

Public Practice & Taxation
Overview
2022 has cemented a new, flexible way of working for most and usually this is driven by the combination of needs and
in professional services firms in Ireland and we expect this to reflects the culture of the organisation. From a recruitment
continue throughout 2023. For some in practice, the routine of perspective – while salary and earning potential is still a high
office life was able to be maintained throughout the covid years priority – flexibility is a very close number two if not an equal for
and they sought little change. However, as we’ve progressed most candidates.
Clinton Donkin
into proper post covid working, most people across Professional
Commercial Director Services who worked remotely, will have now experienced a likely Flexibility is key – those winning at hiring and retaining their
more consistent return to the office. top talent are offering the most flexible approach. Not just to
working structures but also in relation to flex hours – holidays
This trend appears consistent across most professional services and approaching the employer-employee relationship with
firms with the focus remaining on flexibility. This is the most an empathetic yet commercial attitude. Employees have
unique feature we have seen emerge post covid. With any more choice than ever, and they are focussed on working for
number of staff, it can be tricky to put a one size fits all policy a manager or leader who takes an empathetic attitude and
in place. Firms who are doing well operate an overriding firm provides opportunity for the employee to progress and be well
approach and leave the key details to local level – partner and remunerated. For the most part, employees understand that
director agreements that can evolve as needs change on both flexibility is a two-way street and the trust placed in employees
sides of that conversation. is being met and exceeded and the individual approach and
flexible arrangements being made are encouraging employees to
While some firms are operating a fully hybrid model for specific increase their productivity.
teams or the whole firm, others are back to full 5 days in the
office. The leaders of each taking positives from their approach

Irish employers are competing not
just locally but internationally for
the best Irish talent.
Candidates across all levels of Public Practice & Taxation remain in very high
demand, across all locations in Ireland and indeed the rest of the world’s major
economies. With this global demand so high and return to international travel, Irish
employers are competing not just locally but internationally for the best Irish talent.
We have seen a marked increase in global salaries in the likes of the UK, US, Canada,
and Australia and this is expected to remain consistent in 2023
With the re-opening of international travel and borders, we’re seeing a cohort of new
and recently qualified candidates opting to travel abroad to the usual locations of
Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These numbers have been far less than pre-
pandemic; however we expect this to increase sharply in the coming 12 months as
conversation and media reports of a global economic slowdown impacts Ireland.
As we look at the Irish employment market, a slowdown in the global economy could
spell a slowdown in hiring activity across various sectors. We have seen this start in
certain US tech companies. It’s seen that these firms possibly hired too quickly post
pandemic and needed to right-size teams heading into 2023. This slowdown has not
yet impacted the professional services firms or those in industry. Indeed, throughout
the depths of Covid – there were very few qualified or otherwise, experienced
accounting and tax professionals who were unemployed and seeking work.

Salaries, bonus and benefits are
still top of the considerations but
the key is flexibility.
Looking ahead and based on current projections we expect the key themes of
post covid Professional Services to remain. As we progress into 2023, we can
expect to see an increasing expectation for office-based working, more face to face
engagement, events, meetings and interviews, while still having a flexible approach
to the way we work.
Salaries, bonus, and benefits are still top of the considerations and the key is
flexibility on an individual basis and managing these flexible arrangements as
markets and demand requires.

Public Practice & Taxation 2023
Public Practice & Audit Tax- Public Practice
Partner 150,000 150,000 Partner 200,000+ 200,000+
Director 95,000 150,000 Director 85,000- 125,000
Senior Manager 78,000 100,000 Senior Manager 73,000 85,000
Manager 62,000 75,000 Manager 62,000 73,000
Assistant Manager 58,000 62,000 Assistant Manager 58,000 62,000
Senior / Associate 45,000 54,000 Senior / Associate 51,000 56,000
Semi – Senior / Finalist 33,000 38,000 Semi – Senior / Finalist 38,000 45,000
Junior 28,000+ 32,000 Junior 22,500 22,500
Trainee /Graduate 22,500+ 22,500+

Tax- Industry & Financial Services
Head of Tax (EMEA/ Global) 150,000 + 150,000 +
In-house Tax VP 105,000 145,000
Tax Senior Manager/ Director 78,000 95,000
Tax Manager 60,000 75,000
Tax Accountant 45,000 58,000
Tax Assistant 35,000 45,000

Financial Services
Overview
2022 saw the financial services industry in Ireland show great who would ever have thought that would be the case? Similarly,
resilience and emerge from the pandemic in a very positive since 2021-2022 we have seen widespread adoption of a hybrid
manner with recruitment activity returning at a record pace. It is working model and we expect this to continue throughout 2023.
very apparent to us that the financial services sector has been Not every firm made that commitment, but a large percentage
completely transformed over the past two to three years and will engaged extensively with their staff and came up with a hybrid
Tom Guilfoyle
continue to grow throughout 2023. solution that suited employer and employee alike. An interesting
Associate Director
development across the financial services sector throughout
The aftermath of Brexit was still very much driving recruitment 2022 was the shift in candidates’ motivations to change roles.
activity across the financial services industry with Ireland Yes, salary and job satisfaction continued to be key drivers,
being identified as a clear winner from the fallout and over 140 however, wellbeing in the workplace and how people feel they
plus firms relocating work or setting up hubs here. The year are being looked after by their employers grew as a major reason
kicked off in January without the normal lull in hiring as we why individuals considered moving roles as the year progressed.
saw a lot of FS firm focus their recruitment activity on business This point really emerged as the year continued with firms’
operational-critical roles in the early months of the year. As the senior executives paying close attention to the wellbeing and
year progressed, the pace and momentum continued to gather flexibility that they can offer their current staff and new starters.
onwards as the war for talent really began to take hold. Quite simply, we began to see firms who didn’t embrace this
The new norm of video interviewing and onboarding staff requirement of flexibility in the workplace, lose staff a lot more
remotely, has seen timely recruitment processes cut but up readily that those that did. They are going to have to step up
to 50% as it is now the norm for people to start in roles when their game throughout 2023 in order to both retain and attract
they had never set foot inside the office of their new employer, key talent.

Asset Management Space
The asset management space in Middle Office operations have
Ireland has seen major growth with seen an increase in demand
global asset managers growing out in investment oversight and
their Dublin operations over the distributions candidates, treasury,
last year. There has been a growing asset set up, trade support and reg
demand in Front, Middle & Back- reporting. There has been a new
office candidates. The front office growth space for jobs with asset
area has a demand for Investment managers on the back of digital
Risk, Quantitative Analysis, assets with most major players
Portfolio/Investment Management launching digital asset ETFs this
and Due Diligence candidates year. There has been a growth in
covering a range of different asset demand for candidates for this
The asset management space in classes including Alternatives, space and this will be a growth
Fixed Income, Multi Asset and area for 2023 as further adoption
Ireland has seen major growth. Equities. of blockchain, NFTS and crypto
impact the market.

Salaries
Salaries have seen a competitive rise in the war for talent in the last
year. On average, roles have seen an 8-10% rise in terms of base
salaries. Asset management will maintain this trend in 2023.
Demand for 2023

As asset managers and investment managers grow, the sector will
see further demand for candidates that were in demand in 2022.
Front office and middle office mid to senior candidates will be in high
demand.
Other in-demand roles include Investment Managers, Investment Risk

Managers, Product Managers Performance Analysts, Client/ Regulatory
Reporting and Treasury professionals.

Asset/Investment Management & Corporate Banking 2023
Front Office
Trader VP -Director 150,000 300,000 Senior Investment Analyst 55,000 70,000
Senior Trader 90,000 150,000 Investment Analyst 45,000 55,000
Trader 70,000 90,000 Quantitative Investment Analyst 80,000 140,000
Trade Execution Manager 70,000 85,000 Senior Equity Analyst 55,000 65,000
Trade Execution Dealer 50,000 65,000 Equity Analyst 45,000 55,000
Senior Portfolio Manager 100,000 160,000 Senior Credit Analyst 50,000 60,000
Portfolio Manager 80,000 110,000 Credit Analyst 45,000 55,000
Assistant Portfolio Manager 70,000 80,000 Senior Fixed Income Analyst 55,000 65,000
Senior Product Specialist 60,000 70,000 Fixed Income Analyst 45,000 55,000
Product Specialist 45,000 65,000 Senior Research Analyst 50,000 65,000
Investment Manager 80,000 140,000 Research Analyst 45,000 55,000

Middle Office
Middle Office VP -Director 90,000 120,000
Middle Office Manager 70,000 90,000
Middle Office Analyst 45,000 55,000
Corporate Actions Manager 70,000 85,000
Corporation Actions Specialist 45,000 55,000
Pricing Manager 75,000 85,000
Pricing / Market Data Specialist 40,000 55,000
Quantitative Analyst 50,000 65,000
Trade Support Manager 75,000 85,000
Trade Support Specialist 45,000 60,000

Back Office Treasury
Settlements /Cash Management/ 70,000 85,000 Treasury Product VP -Director 90,000 120,000
Reconciliations Manager
Treasury Manager 75,000 85,000
Settlements/ Cash management/ 60,000 70,000
Treasury Supervisor/Team Lead 60,000 70,000
Reconciliations Supervisor / Assistant
manager Senior Treasury Analyst 50,000 60,000
Cash Management/Settlements/ 40,000 45,000 Treasury Analyst 45,000 55,000
reconciliations Administrator
Treasury Administrator 38,000 45,000
Senior Settlements/ Cash Management/ 45,000 55,000
Reconciliations Analyst
Private Banking / Wealth Management
Payments Manager 70,000 80,000
Senior Payments Specialist 45,000 55,000 Job Title € Low € High
Payments Specialist 40,000 45,000 Private Banking VP - Director 140,000 160,000

Portfolio/Wealth Manager 90,000 125,000
Assistant Portfolio Manager 65,000 85,000
Private Clients Advisor 45,000 58,000

Client Service Executive 30,000 38,000

Financial Services
Funds Overview
The Irish investment funds market is one that is always The overall number of funds under administration has
evolving. With over 17,000+ funds industry professionals experienced a sustained upward trend since 2008, growing
directly employed in the sector in Ireland across 150+ different by 32.3% over this period. The strength of Ireland as a global
companies and within ten different counties, the industry administration and management centre for establishing and
contributes over €835 million annually in direct taxes to servicing funds is also evidenced by the mix of assets under
the exchequer. The industry enables regional employment administration on our shores. With continued growth throughout
opportunities to be offered across a significant number of our last year, the assets under management of Irish funds have
major cities and towns. reached yet another record level and stand at just over €3.8
trillion as of January 2022. The net UCITS assets in Ireland is just
Market Overview over €3 trillion.
Ireland is positioned as a dominant force in the European Funds A recent trend has also seen investors continue to seek greater
domicile. The scale of successful development of the investment transparency and measures designed to protect their interests.
funds industry in Ireland is evidenced by the data on the trends Irish funds are very popular among such investors as they are
in the number and value of funds under administration. As heavily regulated by the Central Bank.
of the end of January 2022, there were 15,618 funds under
administration in Ireland. (Non-Domiciled 7,246 / Domiciled
8,372) these numbers now mean Ireland administers 40% of the
globe’s AIF’s, solidifying itself as a global hub within the Funds
landscape.

Salaries & benefits
Salary and overall packages are still a concern for most candidates on the market for a new role,
with the funds market in Ireland being very tight for talent. This has seen counteroffers and re-
counter offers becoming the norm for any candidate making the move from their current employer,
which in turn has seen salary ranges grow by upwards of 12-20% across the graded levels. The
number one priority and motivation currently seen across the market as we come to the end of
2022 and enter 2023 is a clear career pathway to progression, flexibility, WFH status and the
customary work/life balance motivation to move roles.
Since the pandemic hit, the market has seen an expediated sea of change across the funds and
financial sector as we know it, with the ability to work fully remotely and adaptability being a must
to operate at post-pandemic levels.
In-demand skills
There has been an increase in demand for all major Front office, Client Services positions, and at
all ranges from junior to senior-level fund operations positions.

Trustee, Transaction management, Shareholder Services have all seen major growth in
2022 with some new teams/divisions being formulated within the Irish funds industry, the
levels for this growth has been mostly at mid-senior level experienced candidates. The fund
accounting sector has seen expansive growth/competitivity for talent especially in the private
market space across Private Equity, Real Estate and Private Debt at all levels from entry to
SVP.
It is likely that this current trend and growth across the Irish funds arena will see salaries for
fund services professionals continue in an upward trend across the standard operational
areas of Fund Accounting, Transfer Agency, Custody, Trustee and Client Services as well as
non-traditional change management roles in product management, and BA.
Looking ahead for the remainder of 2022 and moving into 2023, the funds market is shaping
up to be a year of growth across the sector, as companies adjust to the new norm with
remote/hybrid working, and the continued growth of new asset classes to the Irish market.
This has seen the generally Dublin centric market being able to attract talent from outside
of the usual catchment areas for skilled experienced staff. The funds marketplace has
experienced many expats securing great roles upon their return with the demand for talent
as strong as ever.
This trend will continue, and we feel 2023 will be a busy year with a lot of the pre-pandemic
growth roles coming back on stream as the Irish fund marketplace solidifies itself and goes
from strength to strength with also the existing Brexit knock-on effect being a very positive
one in the fund administration and management space in Ireland.

Fund Accounting 2023
Funds
Fund Accounting VP - Director 120,000 160,000 Senior Fund Accountant 42,000 52,000
Senior Manager/VP Fund Accounting 100,000 120,000 Senior Fund Accountant (Private Equity) 42,000 52,000
Senior Manager/VP Fund Accounting (Private 100,000 120,000 Fund Accountant 32,000 40,000
Equity)
Fund Administrator 28,000 34,000
Manager /AVP/Account Manager Fund 75,000 90,000
Accounting
Trustee/Depositary
Manager /AVP/Account Manager Fund 75,000 90,000
Accounting (Private Equity)
Fund Accounting Supervisor/Team 52,000 67,500
Leader Trustee / Depositary VP - Director 140,000 140,000
Fund Accounting Supervisor/Team Leader 52,000 67,500 Trustee Senior Manager/VP 95,000 120,000
(Private Equity) Trustee Manager/AVP 72,000 85,000
Senior Trustee Officer 47,000 60,000
Trustee Administrator 32,000 42,000

Investor Services / Transfer Agency Custody
Transfer Agency VP - Director 110,000 140,000 Custody VP - Director 110,000 140,000
Transfer Agency Manager/VP 95,000 120,000 Custody Senior Manager/VP 92,000 120,000
Transfer Agency Manager/VP (Private 95,000 120,000 Custody Manager/AVP 72,000 90,000
Equity)
Custody Supervisor 55,000 68,000
Transfer Agency Assistant Manager/AVP 65,000 80,000
Senior Custody Administrator 42,000 52,000
Transfer Agency Assistant Manager/AVP 65,000 80,000
Custody Administrator 32,000 40,000
(Private Equity)
Transfer Agency Supervisor 55,000 65,000
Client Services
Senior Transfer Agency Administrator 40,000 48,000
Transfer Agency Administrator 32,000 40,000 Job Title € Low € High
Senior Manager/VP 100,000 130,000
Manager/AVP 80,000 100,000
Assistant Manager/Supervisor 55,000 68,000
Client Services Administrator 40,000 50,000

Compliance & Risk
Overview
Brightwater’s Compliance & Risk division continues to see the financial services sector in comparison to this time last year.
growth in the areas of fintech, funds and insurance. Covering Candidates across banking, insurance, funds and especially
roles to include AML, Risk Officers, Financial Crime and fintech are in high demand and notably they also fall under the
Regulatory/Compliance Managers, the market remains strong category of being difficult roles to hire given the current market
and candidate short. and the demand for high calibre candidates. The rental and
housing crisis has also somewhat contributed to clients unable
The Compliance Institute in Ireland now has over 3,000 to tap into talent pools from outside of Ireland.
members and continues to grow rapidly, with the Professional
Diploma in Compliance a very recognised qualification to have, As the Compliance & Risk market is very candidate short,
particularly those in financial services who have compliance and candidates typically won’t be exclusive and are likely
risk responsibilities as part of their role. It’s proving an attractive interviewing in several companies, and counteroffers are to be
area of employment for newcomers to the industry who are expected. There remains a high demand for risk candidates
beginning in entry level compliance/AML roles given the broad across funds that may have investment risk experience, and
industry it is becoming, with further expansion still happening of compliance roles are steady, particularly across AML.
the back of Brexit and organisations establishing offices here. It
is positive news as it means Ireland is retaining its reputation as Salary and overall packages have seen a significant increase
a global financial services and technology hub. and we have seen increases ranging from 12 to 20%. Along
with the cost-of-living crisis which has pushed up candidate
There’s a notable increase of 6% increase in the number of expectations, the demand for talent also contributes significantly
Compliance Managers across LinkedIn who are employed in to this.

General compliance roles will
remain strong, along with those in
financial crime and AML. Counteroffers are more prevalent and at an all-time high given the
obstacles faced by hiring managers in a candidate short market and time
to hire has increased from an average of 6 weeks to as high as 11/12
weeks. Flexibility remains top of the priority list when it comes to the
offerings of a new role from the candidate perspective, often holding more
weight than the salary and remuneration package itself. Progression and
internal growth opportunities, company culture and work/life balance
all remain important factors when candidates are considering their next
move.
For 2023, the Data Protection market will be strong and there will be a
demand for candidates in preparation for new EU Directives coming into
force, the difficulty may be that a lot of the larger tech companies have
captured strong privacy candidates so other organisations may find it
difficult in prying them away.
General compliance roles will remain strong, along with those in financial
crime and AML. With the withdrawal of 2 pillar banks and several fintech
companies from Ireland in terms of obtaining licensing here, demand will
remain strong for candidates with digital/payments/fintech backgrounds.

Compliance & Risk 2023
Compliance
Head of Compliance 120,000 180,000 Data Protection Specialist 60,000 80,000
Compliance VP - Director 100,000 140,000 Fraud Manager 55,000 55,000
Compliance Manager (VP) 90,000 120,000 Fraud Analyst 45,000 55,000
(5-7 years’ exp.) Corporate Governance Specialist 50,000 60,000
Compliance Manager (AVP) 80,000 100,000
(3-5 years’ exp.)

Compliance Officer (1-3 years’ exp.) 45,000 55,000
Head of AML 100,000 140,000
AML Manager 80,000 115,000
AML Specialist 60,000 75,000
Data Protection Officer 80,000 115,000

Risk
Head of Risk 100,000 150,000
Risk Manager 70,000 110,000
Risk Specialist 55,000 80,000
Risk Analyst 55,000 65,000
Operational Risk Manager 70,000 90,000
Operational Risk Specialist 50,000 65,000
Quantitative Risk Manager 80,000 110,000
Quantitative Risk Analyst 70,000 90,000
Financial (Cred-it / Market / Liquidity) Risk 70,000 100,000
Manag-er
Financial (Credit / Market / Liquidity) Risk 50,000 75,000
Analyst

Insurance
Overview
The insurance industry across the globe, has in the main,
navigated the upheaval of COVID-19 reasonably well.
Insurers are looking forward with a sense of opportunity in

relation to potential growth across many of their business
lines. From working across the insurance industry locally, we
believe the sector in Ireland has real post-pandemic growth
opportunities to focus on. We can see insurers are adapting
their plans to ensure that they are prioritising, organising,
and adapting (in some cases developing) their internal
capabilities to respond to both the size of the prize in front of
them and the headwinds facing them in 2023 and beyond.
This twin dynamic of growth and challenges – both within the

industry and macro/global dynamics – make it an interesting
time for the industry.

In-demand skills
The rising trend of insurance brokers Science & Analytics and Governance,
merging and/or becoming acquired has Risk & Internal Controls. Companies
created a demand for “different” types are not only trying to innovate but are
of skills or experience. Traditionally, in trying to make sure that customers know
the insurance market, once you become they are taking these steps to remain
an Underwriter or a Claims Handler or competitive.
whichever your chosen class of business
to specialise in, it can prove difficult to Account Executives / Account
move outside of that. Managers, Relationship Managers, New
Business Development Executives have
This is still very much the case for the been more in demand in 2022 than
majority, however, with the way that have been for the past number of years
the market is changing, there has and we expect this trend to continue
become a new demand for subject throughout 2023. Salaries across the
Insurers are looking forward with a matter experts within specified areas of sector continue to grow, with an 8-15%
sense of opportunity in relation to insurance who can also lend their skills increase from year on year, which the
and experience to roles encompassing company operating a remote/WFH
potential growth. Project Management, Digital hybrid model seeing the best success in
Transformation, Strategy, Consulting, securing the top talent.
and even broaching into both Data

Insurance 2023
Underwriting Claims
Head of Underwriting (Director) 90,000 150,000 Head of Claims 80,000 125,000
Underwriting Manager 75,000 110,000 Claims Manager 45,000 70,000
Specialty Underwriter 60,000 110,000 Senior Claims Handler (5-10 years) 45,000 70,0000
Senior Commercial Underwriter (10+ 50,000 80,000 Claims Handler (1-5 years) 30,000 40,0000
years)
Commercial Underwriter (1-10 years) 30,000 55,000 Operations
Personal Lines Underwriter 28,000 45,000
Underwriting Assistant 28,000 35,000
Head of Operations 65,000 110,000
Operations Manager 45,000 70,000
Operations Executive 30,000 45,000
Relationship Manager / Broker 40,000 65,000
Consultant

Insurance Broking
Head of Client Services (Director level) 80,000 125,000
Client Manager 65,000 105,000
Account Manager / Senior Account 50,000 70,000
Account Executive – Commercial Lines 30,000 55,000
Account Executive – Personal Lines 30,000 45,000
Financial Advisor 30,000 60,000
Claims Handler 30,000 45,000

Legal
Overview
The practice market in the last year has continued to grow adopted their hybrid working model with most picking three
following recent mergers which demonstrates the increasing days in the office & two at home. This seems to have been a
recognition of the important role Ireland’s globally-connected successful adoption for most firms and seems likely to continue.
economy plays in Europe. Law firms of all sizes are seeing their
resources stretched and are continuing to hire across most One major trend driven by Brexit has been the further
Mark Byrne acceleration of multinational companies in establishing holdings
disciplines. There are several reasons for this with the main
Commercial Director one being from the end of quarter one of 2022 when pandemic in Ireland, with Ireland benefiting from its common law system,
restrictions were lifted, activity levels significantly increased. use of English, and presence within the European market. These
New roles were created within legal firms as well as vacant developments have been particularly evident in the technology
positions being filled. sector. The increased presence of technology multinationals
in Ireland has driven increased demand for data protection
Areas of significant growth are in Banking & Finance particularly and technology lawyers. Most in-house positions at Legal
Commercial & Sustainable Finance, Corporate & Commercial, Counsel, Senior Legal Counsel & General Counsel level have
Technology, Data Protection, Intellectual Property, Commercial seen continued growth. This growth has been observed across
Property & Commercial Litigation. There has been significant technology & fintech, pharmaceutical & manufacturing, banking
movement at the NQ-3 years’ PQE with continued growth at 3-5 & finance, funds & asset management. A number of in-house
years’ PQE. legal teams have grown their teams by one if not two resources.
While salaries and bonuses still play a major factor for any All indicators suggest that the legal market in both practice
solicitor considering a move, a structured mentoring policy; & in-house will remain busy over the next 12 months with
corporate culture; ‘flexibility’ and ‘work-life balance’ are also candidates having multiple offers when they come to the
very strong criteria when considering a move. Most firms have market.

Legal 2023
Practice
Salaried Partner 135,000+ 135,000+ Company Secretary (5+ years’ exp.) 80,000 135,000
6 years plus 90,000 150,000 Company Secretary (3-5 years’ exp.) 50,000 95,000
5 years’ PQE QA 95,000 110,000 Company Secretary (0-3 years’ exp.) 35,000 55,000
4 years’ PQE 90,000 95,000
3 years’ PQE 80,000 92,000
2 years’ PQE 70,000 83,000
1 year’s PQE 65,000 79,000
Newly Qualified Solicitor 60,000 75,000
QC Professional Support Lawyer/Knowledge 85,000 125,000

Lawyer
Legal Executive / Paralegal 30,000 60,000

In-House
Head of Legal 130,000+ 130,000+
Senior Legal Counsel 110,000 140,000
Legal Counsel 90,000 125,000
Legal & Compliance Officer 45,000 75,000
Data Protection Manager 65,000 100,000
Data Protection Officer 45,000 60,000
Company Secretary 50,000 95,000
Company Secretarial Assistant 35,000 50,000

Technical Services
- IT Permanent 44
- IT Contract 58
- Engineering 65
- Supply Chain & Logistics 71
- Life Sciences 75

Technical Services
IT Permanent Overview
2022 has been another year of more growth for the tech higher inflation, huge volatility in stock / crypto markets
sector but not without its issues. and of course the pandemic).
According to CSO figures published this year Ireland has Taking the pandemic as one of the main examples of this;
more than 90,000 people employed in the technology We saw companies benefitting hugely from more people
Gareth Fleming sector and across 5,000+ companies. Those employed in staying at home - Netflix, Zoom, Amazon, Paypal, Meta,
Director the tech sector also enjoy the highest annual earnings in Klarna and Shopify to name a few, companies that went
the country Ireland with the average salary coming in at through extra ordinary revenue and headcount growth
just over €73500. as their markets expanded. That growth hasn’t been
sustainable, leisure time / home working levels are falling
Ireland also remains heavily reliant on this sector, looking as staff return to more regular work practices and so it’s
back at the last “normal” year’s trading, 2019, we not that surprising to see these macro events take their
exported €117bn of the €128bn output from the industry toll.
with Domestic firms exporting half of their production
(almost €2bn). The market remains extremely busy and challenging for
those looking to hire in niche areas of IT.
Certain areas have however experienced what some are
calling a slowdown. Many tech giants have implemented Looking across the breadth of the technology sector
global hiring freezes and in some cases layoffs due to demand for experienced technology talent continues
several macro events across the globe (war in Ukraine, to far outstrip supply and across all major verticals

The market remains extremely
busy and challenging for those
looking to hire in niche areas of IT.
within Software Development and DevOps, Data and Analytics, Cyber &
Information Security, Cloud Architecture and PMO / Product.
As is evident from the daily announcements more and more international

companies continue to base themselves here as Ireland’s reputation as a
digital hub continues to grow internationally, with these companies basing
themselves not just in Dublin but right across the four provinces of Ireland
as remote working remains in demand and commuting becomes less of an
issue.
2022 also saw huge growth in our indigenous tech start up scene as more
and more innovative companies continued to scale and grow creating more
and more opportunities for our highly skilled workforce.
Heading into 2023 we see demand continuing to increase in certain areas of

tech, more specifically Cyber and Information Security, Data Analytics and
Engineering, Product management and digitalisation and of course Software
and DevOps.

PMO
Over the past 24 months the companies turning to Product
PMO space has become one of candidates to enhance and grow
the busiest areas of IT across all their agile / scrum proficiencies
industries and roles. This growth and their routes to market as well
came about as a result of the as increased internal efficiencies
increase in remote working, online through automation.
Anthony McCarthy training, and the push towards
Associate Director digitalisation across every sector. We expect high demand once
again in 2022 / 2023 across all
As more companies focus on areas of PMO, to include Product
digitalisation and transformation Owners and Managers, Agile
more and more new opportunities coaches, Project Managers and
(and job types) have presented Business Analysts and of course
themselves, none more so then in Scrum Masters.
the areas of Product Ownership
and Management where we We have seen huge increases in
have seen huge increases in companies turning to Product
candidates to enhance and grow
their agile / scrum proficiencies

Technology 2023
Leadership Product
IT Director / Head of IT 120,000 160,000 Product Director 125,000 160,000
IT Manager 90,000 120,000 Product Manager 90,000 105,000
Product Owner 70,000 90,000
Agile Coach 90,000 110,000

Project & Programme Management Scrum Master 70,000 90,000

Programme Manager 90,000 125,000
Senior Project Manager 90,000 105,000
Project Manager 75,000 90,000
PMO Analyst / Project Administrator 50,000 65,000

Analytics
Analytics is arguably the fastest-growing domains. More and more, small businesses
area for Technology recruitment in Ireland in industries such as retail and education are
in the last year. The number of new jobs hiring people to work with their data as they
created has increased dramatically and this seek to build value from it.
is further amplified by the diversification of
the area of Analytics. What is meant by this This has contributed to a surge in salaries
John Howe over the last year with average salaries
is that roles such as Data Scientist are now
Associate Director being fractured into multiple verticals such across analytics seeing a 15-20% increase
as Machine Learning Engineering and AI while at the Senior Manager/Junior Director
Specialisms. This is because, as roles such corporate level, sign-on bonuses are
as Data Scientist, Data Engineer, and Data becoming increasingly common, driven by
Analyst mature over time, the professionals large multinationals in the Health-Tech and
in those roles will specialise in the various Financial Services domains as they grow out
areas within those roles. in Ireland.
Another trend we are seeing in Ireland is In 2023, the data shows that salaries will
the increased need for Data and Analytics continue to trend upwards at a rate of 15-
professionals in the SME space, rather 20% and the need for analytics professionals
than just the multinational or Big-Tech is also showing no sign of slowing down.

Analytics
Senior Data Scientist 90,000 120,000 Business Data Analyst 50,000 65,000
Data Scientist 75,000 90,000 Master Data Analyst 40,000 50,000
Senior Data Engineer 75,000 90,000 Insights Specialist 40,000 50,000
Data Engineer 60,000 75,000 Data Governance Specialist 45,000 60,000
Machine Learning Engineer 60,000 75,000 Data Migration Specialist 40,000 55,000
Business Intelligence Developer 60,000 70,000
Business Intelligence Reporting Analyst 60,000 70,000
Senior Data Architect 90,000 120,000
Data Architect 70,000 90,000
Senior Data Analyst 70,000 90,000
Data Analyst 50,000 65,000
Database Administrator 50,000 60,000
Data Management Analyst 45,000 65,000

Software
2022 was a year in which we have seen We have seen significant in demand areas
Software Engineering have one of its most such as Java and Python as well as the
competitive years if not the most in the last more niche areas like React and Angular.
decade. Ireland is really proving itself as a eCommerce and SAAS companies continue
home for technology companies as we see to be an area of robust growth having grown
more and more global names open hubs out multiple different revenue streams during
across Ireland. the pandemic.
For these reasons we have seen inward As is the case in other areas of technology,
migration grow as more and more software demand for software talent far outstrips
engineering talent continues to relocate here supply with all roles in the Software
to take up these well-paid opportunities. Development space in high demand. In 2023
Software has become a mostly candidate we expect this to continue with Frontend,
driven market with salaries in the software Backend and Full Stack Engineers as well as
engineering space experiencing significant Mobile, Web and Security Developers all very
inflation due to how competitive 2022 has sought after.
been to date.

Software Engineering
Software Engineering Manager 130,000 150,000 Mid-Level Front End/UI Developer 65,000 75,000
Technical Architect 110,000 140,000 Mid-Level C / C++ Developer 70,000 85,000
Technical Lead 100,000 120,000 Mid-Level .Net / C# Engineer 60,000 70,000
Snr Level Front End/UI Developer 75,000 90,000 Mid-Level Java Developer 60,000 75,000
Snr Level C/C++/Carbon Developer 85,000 110,000 Mid-Level Python Developer 65,000 75,000
Snr Level .NET/C# Developer 75,000 90,000 Mid-Level Android/iOS Developer 60,000 70,000
Snr Level Java Developer 80,000 110,000 Mid-Level PHP Developer 60,000 80,000
Snr Level Python Developer 90,000 110,000 Scala Developer 70,000 100,000
Snr Level Android/iOS Developer 85,000 100,000 Mid-Level Embedded Software Engineer 60,000 75,000
Snr Embedded Software Engineer 85,000 110,000 UX Engineer 50,000 65,000
Snr UX Engineering 70,000 90,000 QA Test Manager 80,000 110,000
QA Test Lead 75,000 100,000
Software Test Engineer 65,000 75,000
QA Automation Engineer 75,000 90,000

Infrastructure
2022 has been hectic this year thus far with a quite severe talent gap in various areas
no sign of slowing down when it comes IT and IT infrastructure is no different. A huge
infrastructure recruitment. It is an extremely amount of IT professionals start out in IT
busy vertical for us here due to the ever- Infrastructure through the support function
increasing needs from our diverse array of and move upwards from there however,
clientele. Infrastructure teams are now more right now, whilst technical support / System
than ever under huge pressure to adopt Administrators and Network Engineers
new technologies and processes in order are and will continue to be required, the
to swiftly coincide with the requirements of disparity in supply to demand isn’t as large
evolving business models. IT infrastructure compared to other areas in IT infrastructure
personnel are in high demand as always such as, devops or cloud oriented roles. The
being a major facilitator of changing inflation of salary expectations associated
dynamics within the market, obviously over with these skillsets are definitely reflective
the last couple of years supporting the of that with candidates now having more
transition to remote and hybrid working leverage than ever, with a definitive shift to ‘a
business models enabling an innumerable buyers’ market’. The organisations that show
amount of staff to work business as usual. reluctance towards giving into this changing
These same personnel are essential in order dynamic will ultimately take a higher share
to maintain this new approach to work for of the risk associated with attracting and
what seems as for years to come. Irelands retaining talent.
technology market is currently experiencing

Support / Administration SAP Functional and Technical Experts
DevOps/Platform Engineer 80,000 110,000 SAP Consultant (Functional/Technical) 55,000 85,000
Cloud Infrastructure Architect 90,000 110,000 SAP Enterprise Architect 90,000 115,000
Systems Administrator 45,000 65,000 Microsoft Technical Consultant 70,000 90,000
Unix/Linux Systems Administrator 60,000 75,000
Network/NOC Engineer 55,000 70,000
IT Support 40,000 50,000
Customer Engineer 45,000 65,000
Service Delivery Manager 60,000 80,000
IT Support Team Lead 50,000 65,000

Security
The 2022 IT security market is the busiest it has A bittersweet dynamic that we’re experiencing now
ever been from a demand perspective on a global within businesses in Ireland is an increased budget
scale for obvious reasons with a predicted annual allocation towards cyber security however, one of the
13% Growth Rate growth rate of over 13% until 2027. Alike most areas main issues organizations are facing is actually being
in technology the talent gap is quite significant, able to utilize that increased spend by onboarding
500 firms in Ireland with IT security being one of the worst areas the right talent. Organizations clearly see the need
professionals affected by the phenomenon. This seems to be only to bolster their defences so to speak but are unable
widening with the ever-increasing requirement for to reach the level they want or need in some cases.
cyber professionals in today’s environment with This is a major issue for businesses obviously but
cyber incidents being perhaps the biggest risk on the flipside of the coin, employees are benefiting
to businesses in 2022 . The number of unfilled through inflated salary levels and increased leverage
cybersecurity jobs worldwide growing an eerie 350% when proposing greater levels flexibility in their role.
from 2013 to 2021. Companies now more than ever There are just under 500 firms in Ireland offering
are forced to utilize innovative solutions in order to cyber security services with approximately 7,500
fill these vacancies such as, hire on potential rather cyber security professionals being employed in
than experience alone, ensure cybersecurity jobs Ireland mostly within Dublin, Cork, Galway and
are more enticing than others through increased Limerick, which shows the size of industry we have
salaries and highlighting exciting workloads, here. Looking on to 2023, this number will only grow
reskilling internally, leaning on the infrastructure and as will inevitably, the size of the workforce.
development personnel to crossover.

Cyber & InfoSec
Information Security Consultant 55,000 85,000
Information Security Officer (ISO) 50,000 82,000
IT Auditor 50,000 80,000
IT Risk /Compliance Consultant 60,000 80,000
Information Security Architect 80,000 110,000
IT Compliance Specialist 60,000 80,000
Network Security Architect 80,000 110,000
Infosec/Security Operations Engineer 65,000 80,000
Software Application Security Specialist 65,000 85,000
IT Forensics / eDiscovery Consultant 50,000 75,000
Cyber Security Analyst Tier 2 (SOC) 50,000 60,000
Cyber Security Analyst Tier 3 (SOC) 60,000 70,000
Information Security Engineer 60,000 85,000

Blockchain Overview
At Brightwater Technology, we went into 2022 very bullish Whilst these opportunities are typically made up of software
about the crypto job market – between 2020 – 2021, job development positions, other roles are growing such as Product
postings for roles in crypto went up nearly 400% and the last or DevOps. Remote based roles are extremely common. The
few years have been a boom period for the crypto / blockchain reality is that the high cost of hiring talent in many of the global
industry generally. Indeed, in May 2022, CB Insights released “crypto hotspots” means that very interesting roles can be
a Q1 ’22 report that said global blockchain funding was up for made available to candidates in Europe.Ultimately, whilst the
the seventh quarter in a row – hitting a new record of $9.2bn. headline layoffs and bear market might seem discouraging, the
crypto market still boasts an overall cap of $1 trillion globally.
At the same time, much has been made of the “Crypto Winter”.
Over the course of 2022, there has been lots of attention paid Looking closer to home, what is also very exciting about the
to the bear market and the subsequent job losses in prominent crypto market here in Ireland is that as a new and rapidly
crypto firms. Traditionally the job market in crypto has tended growing industry, there are relatively few “experts” and
to mirror prices – when the price drops, the job market often hiring companies understand that their requirements
tightens. must reflect this. The most innovative and forward-thinking
organisations will typically hope for one or two years’ experience
Having said that, the job market in crypto remains very healthy. within crypto and blockchain combined with general software
Several firms, sensing an opportunity to strengthen, are hiring engineering experience, relevant degrees and a passion for the
in large numbers. Add to that the fact that lots of healthy industry.
projects are already funded, and that other tech and traditional
financial services firms (TradFi) are adding blockchain and A final thought: the 2022 PwC report “Time for Trust” states
crypto projects to their businesses, you have a market that can that the total blockchain impact on the global economy will
continue to offer lots of exciting opportunities. be $1.7 trillion by 2030.

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Web3
Backend Developer 65,000 120,000
Frontend Developer 65,000 120,000
Product Owner 70,000 90,000
Product manager 78,000 120,000
Full Stack Developer 65,000 120,000
Graphic Designer 55,000 73,000
Product Designer 65,000 92,000
Security Engineer 78,000 105,000
DevOps Engineer 78,000 110,000
UI/UX Developer 65,000 83,000
Architect 90,000 125,000

Technical Services
IT Contracts Overview
2022, as expected, proved to be a busy year in the IT Remote and hybrid working has continued to be a big
contracting sector. Rates have increased, and there factor for candidates this year. Moving towards the
have been many excellent opportunities available for end of 2022, companies have either implemented, or
those with the correct mix of skills and experience. are starting to implement, long term policies regarding
hybrid working and it is a key ask from contactors. When
Derek Smyth While we began to see some improvement in the market fully remote work is an option, those roles are of serious
Associate Director towards the end of 2021 as the worst effects of the interest to prospective candidates. Many candidates
pandemic eased, the first few months of 2022 saw a will negotiate a lower rate in return for fully remote,
substantial acceleration as many companies pushed particularly those living outside of the major cities. When
ahead with new projects, new products, and expansion. it comes to hybrid models, most tech clients are looking
As a result, once again we saw demand for skilled IT for between 2 and 3 days per week on site depending
contractors increase and as a result some upward on the role. The majority of candidates want more work
pressure on rates. from home options, with occasional visits to the office to
Now as we head into 2023, with inflation becoming a connect with their teams.
serious issue in the economy, more candidates have Modern technology stack and interesting work is still a
pushed for increased rates both when searching for roles major influencer when it comes to jobs and is a key factor
and also when renewing contracts. Businesses on the when candidates are considering whether to apply for
other side are worried about costs and are uncertain as to roles. Many candidates will negotiate their rate in order
how bad a potential downturn may be. to work with the latest tools, or to work on an interesting
project.

More IT Contractors have pushed While we saw upward pressure on rates across the board through 2022, the key
areas in which we have seen rates rising are within Software Development, PMO,
for increased rates both when Data Analytics and Dev Ops. Across software development, demand was very strong
searching for roles and also when and there was serious competition for skilled candidates. Those languages in strong
renewing contracts. demand and for which supply is strained have seen generous increases. Senior
Python and Java developers have seen increases of approx. 7-10% when moving
between contracts, while those with front-end skills particularly with Angular and
React may have seen more than 10%+ increases. As demand for developers remains
strong we feel 2023 will likely see further increases.
Data Analytics continues to be a very busy area, and one that is key to many
companies. More and more companies are growing out the analytics capabilities
including the smaller companies. This has created very strong demand and therefore
rates are being pushed upwards, particularly those with the more technical skillsets.
2022 saw a major push on projects that had maybe stalled or postponed during the
pandemic. As a result we, saw an increase in demand for Project Managers, Scrum
Masters, BA’s, Product Managers and Owners. Rates have increased through 2022
and I expect this will be a feature again 2023. Candidates who are very closely aligned
with job specs have had the ability to push harder on rates and some have seen strong
increases.
There are a lot of variables regarding the outlook for 2023 and predicting where
rates will be is difficult. Demand is still strong as of the final quarter of 2022 but as
mentioned in our Permanent IT summary, some of the larger tech companies have
already indicated reductions or recruitment freezes.

Clients will be cautious and will want to ensure they can continue to pay the
rates committed to particularly if there is a downturn in the economy. At the
same time, as Ireland is currently in a time of high inflation, candidates are
facing increases in rents and mortgages, energy costs and general increases
in most goods and services. We expect therefore that candidates will continue
to push for rate increases and will target those companies who can pay higher
rates. Most candidates who responded to this survey are optimistic about next
year with the majority expecting rate increases (57%) while 37% thought rates
would stay at least the same.
It is true that the sector is strong and resilient and we expect for the majority
of skilled candidates, rates may still move upwards in 2023, although more
modestly than in 2022.

Information Technology 2023 (IT Contract)
Managerial IT / Project Management
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € Low Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High
Product Director 450 650 Programme Manager 700 1100
Enterprise Systems Architect 650 800 Senior Project Manager 500 750
Project Manager (Mid-level) 400 550
PMO Coordinator / Project Administrator 300 400

QA PMO Manager 600 800
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High Agile Coach 500 700
QA/Test Manager 500 700 Scrum Master 500 700
QA / Test Lead 450 550 Business Analyst 450 650
Software Test / QA Engineer 300 450 Systems Analyst 450 650
QA Automation Engineer 300 550 PMO Coordinator / Project Administrator 275 450
*THE ABOVE RATES ARE CONTRACTOR RATES AND DO NOT INCLUDE AGENCY FEES

Senior Software Development Software Development
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High
DevOps/Platform Engineer 600 850 Mid Level Front End/UI Developer 350 450
Technical Architect 600 800 Mid Level C / C++ Developer 350 450
Technical Lead 600 700 Mid Level .Net / C# Engineer 350 450
Snr Level Front End/UI Developer 500 625 Mid Level Java Developer 350 450
DevOps / SRE 550 800 Mid Level Python Developer 350 500
Snr Level C/C++ Developer 500 600 Mid Level Cloud / Microservices Software 350 450
Engineer
Snr Level .NET / C# Developer 500 650
Mid Level Android / IOS Developer 350 450
Snr Level Java Developer 550 625
Mid Level Scala Developer 350 500
Snr Level Python Developer 550 650
Mid Level Embedded Software Engineer (C/ 300 450
Snr Level Cloud / Microservices Software 550 650
C++)
Engineer
Snr Level Scala Developer 550 650
Snr Level Android /iOS Developer 500 600
Snr Embedded Software Engineer 500 600

Product and Design Analytics
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € Low Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High
Product Manager 500 650 Data Scientist 450 650
Product Owner 450 550 Data Engineer 450 600
Mid-Level UX Designer 300 400 Machine Learning Engineer 450 650
Snr UX Designer 400 600 Business Intelligence Developer 400 600
Graphic Designer 250 400 Data Architect 500 700
Data Analyst 300 500

ERP Systems
Database Developer 450 600
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High Database Administrator (Oracle / SQL) 400 550
SAP Consultant (Functional / Technical) 550 800
SAP Delivery Lead 700 850
Oracle E-Business (Functional / 550 750
Technical)
MS Dynamics AX / Navision Consultant 550 750

Security / IT Audit Support / Administration
Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High Job Title Daily € Low Daily € High
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) 800 1,000 DevOps / Platform Engineer 550 750
Information Security Consultant 700 800 Cloud Infrastructure Architect 600 800
IT Auditor 400 600 IT Systems Administrator 240 450
Penetration Tester 300 500 IT Systems Engineer 350 450

Information Security Architect 500 850 Unix / Linux Systems Administrator 250 450
Information Security Analyst 300 500 Network Engineer 350 650
IT Support Level 1 140 190
IT Support Level 2 190 280
Application Support Consultant 220 280
Service Delivery Manager 350 550
Service Desk /Helpdesk Lead 250 350

Engineering
Overview
When coming into 2022, one would have had a much different Renewable energy is the most important sector for the world
view on what the outcome was going to be. With Covid 19 and here in Ireland, we are no different. We have seen a large
still with us, and the threat of more lockdowns, who was to growth in the area of data centres and in order to manage the
know which way the year would turn out? What we have seen power usage of these facilities, companies will need to look to
is the ability of the Irish economy to adapt and pivot in an alternative ways of creating a sustaining power. With Ireland’s
Cathal O Donnell
ever-changing environment. 2022 has turned out to be a very 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, we will have to do a lot
Commercial Director successful year for many engineering companies. more to ensure we hit these targets. We have seen the increased
use of wind turbines, both inland and offshore, as a way to ensure
With inflation at the highest we’ve seen for years, and the renewable energy can be delivered to large power users and the
increased cost related to fuel and energy, what we have seen is demand for people with skills in the sector will be increase over
an increase across salary levels of up to 15%. When candidates coming months.
are looking to move, it has to be for either career progression or
salary and this market is providing both. Manufacturing has always been a large producer here and this
year was no different. The pharmaceutical and FMCG markets
As we have seen globally, the demand for energy is on the have once again had a stable year with many companies having
increase. With this, there has been an exponential increase in the to adapt to working from home requirements of staff. We have
requirements for electrical engineers with companies both in the come to know that working from home has its benefits, both to
construction and manufacturing sectors. Power, and the ability clients and employees and that a blended arrangement can be
to create power is has become one of the most sought-after skills successful.
and commodities and companies are willing to increase their
offerings to capture the right talent.

The demand for energy is on the increase
and there has been an exponential increase
in the requirements for electrical engineers
in the construction and manufacturing
sectors. We have also seen a push toward diversity and inclusion with many companies
moving toward making this part of their recruitment policy. STEM is now a crucial
aspect to recruitment and the ability for all to work in the engineering sector is
paramount to increasing the amount of engineering graduates we produce for an
ever-increasing market.
Looking into 2023, we can see the markets getting busier as the demand for
engineering staff continues to increase. In order to cater for this demand, we need to
encourage our school leavers to consider engineering as a long-term career. Climate
action is on every government’s agenda and will become more important in 2023 so
we need to begin to fight this battle. It begins at root level and in our schools.
2023 will see a greater return to the office however, working from home will still be
embraced. Inclusion is a very important part of working life and as we once again
begin to have face to face meetings, 2023 will see us even more productive, and in a
more balanced way.

Engineering 2023
Construction - Consultant
Project Director 115,000 150,000 BIM Coordinator 40,000 60,000
Design Manager 80,000 95,000 Water/Wastewater Engineer 50,000 80,000
Project Manager 75,000 85,000 Environmental Engineer 40,000 60,000
Planner 50,000 70,000 CAD / Revit / Microstation Technician 35,000 55,000
Civil Engineer 50,000 75,000 Architect 45,000 80,000
Structural Engineer 50,000 75,000 Architectural Technician 35,000 65,000
Mechanical Engineer 45,000 70,000
Electrical Engineer 50,000 80,000
Building Services Engineer 45,000 70,000
Roads/Highway Engineer 45,000 65,000

Construction - Contractor
Project Manager 65,000 90,000 Health & Safety Officer 45,000 65,000
Project Engineer 45,000 70,000 M&E Coordinator 45,000 65,000
Contracts Manager 75,000 95,000 M&E Engineer 40,000 60,000
Site Manager 60,000 80,000 Senior Resident Engineer 60,000 90,000
Site Engineer 50,000 70,000 Resident Engineer 50,000 75,000
Site Foreman 50,000 70,000 Roads / Highways Engineer 50,000 65,000
Senior Quantity Surveyor 75,000 110,000
Quantity Surveyor 60,000 85,000
Senior Estimator 60,000 80,000
Estimator 50,000 65,000
Electrical Engineer 55,000 70,000
Mechanical Engineer 55,000 70,000
Health & Safety Manager 75,000 85,000

Operations
Production & Manufacturing
General Manager 95,000 140,000 Design Manager 65,000 80,000
Operations Manager 85,000 100,000 Project Engineer 60,000 70,000
Plant Manager 90,000 115,000 Lean Six Sigma Engineer 60,000 70,000
Production Manager 70,000 90,000 Continuous Improvement Engineer 60,000 70,000
Engineering Manager 85,000 115,000 Process Engineer 50,000 70,000
Maintenance Manager 65,000 85,000 Manufacturing Engineer 50,000 70,000
Continuous Improvement Manager 70,000 90,000 Quality Engineer 50,000 75,000
NPD Manager 65,000 85,000 Health & Safety Engineer 50,000 65,000
Technical Manager 60,000 80,000 Environmental Engineer 50,000 65,000
Quality Manager 65,000 85,000 NPD Technologist 40,000 55,000
H&S Manager 70,000 90,000 QA Technician 35,000 45,000
Project Manager 70,000 85,000 QC Technician 35,000 45,000

Commissioning Engineer 65,000 80,000
Validation Engineer 60,000 80,000
Controls/Automation Engineer 60,000 80,000
Maintenance Engineer 50,000 70,000
Maintenance Technician 45,000 60,000
Technical Services
Service Manager 65,000 80,000
Service Engineer 50,000 60,000
Facilities Manager 65,000 80,000
Facilities Technician 45,000 55,000

Supply Chain and Logistics
Overview
2022 has been a very challenging year for the supply chain
and logistics sector, Covid brought its own challenges with
staff shortages and as soon as it entered the rear-view mirror,
a global supply chain crisis arose due to the ongoing war in
Ukraine to create even further challenges for the sector.
These ongoing challenges have also been fuelled (quite literally)

by the costs of transporting goods and the ever-increasing
electricity charges which are causing major issues for cold
storage facilities as their costs are becoming unsustainable.
Salaries have not increased in this space in the last year and
with increasing running costs, human capital will be something
that will remain stagnant until the operational costs return to
a manageable level. However, freight and shipping company
profits have increased due to the significant increase in online
shopping and demand for freight and customs experts has
sharply increased as a result. Due to a severe lack of experienced
talent in the customs space, salaries have increased 11% since
2019 due to the high demand within this specialty.

With inflation at an almost 40 year high of 9.1% (CSO data July 2022), there has
never been more focus on procurement and the expertise needed to maintain
profitability in an ever changing landscape. There has been a particular drive
to secure the best suppliers & contracts in the current volatile market and with
overheads increasing across the board, it is rare that contracts are renewed without
Organisations are realising the key roles some renegotiation needed to remain sustainable. We have witnessed an increase
Procurement Managers play for any in the salary range for procurement managers up 10% from 2022 and we are also
witnessing a high number of counteroffers as companies across a broad range of
business. industries are realising the key roles Procurement Managers play for any business.
It is hard to envision any scenario that would allow for salaries to keep up with the
current rate of inflation, but Procurement Managers and Specialists are in a very
strong position to negotiate their worth with current/future employers in the current
climate.
The number of companies expected to implement digital tools and procedures as

part of their operations will likely increase dramatically over the next five years and
transformational technological solutions will be the focus to track spending across
industry and the expectation will be to engage a number of technical specialists into
the space and according to Grand View Research, the global procurement market is
expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 23.6% from 2022 to 2030
so this is definitely an area we will witness massive growth into 2023 and beyond.
With the rising operational costs within supply chain and logistics, the consensus
is there will be limited room for any salary increases into 2023 due to continuing
upward curve of costs and unless there is a drastic change in fuel and electricity
prices in Ireland, it will be an even tougher year in 2023.

Supply Chain & Logistics 2023
Supply Chain
Supply Chain Director 100,000 120,000 Purchasing Specialist 40,000 55,000
Supply Chain Manager 65,000 85,000 Commodity / Category Manager 75,000 90,000
Supply Chain Specialists 50,000 60,000 Vendor Manager 65,000 80,000
Supply Chain Analyst 40,000 55,000 Materials Manager 55,000 65,000
Head of Procurement 75,000 100,000 Inventory Manager 40,000 50,000
Procurement Manager 70,000 95,000 Inventory Analyst 30,000 35,000
Procurement Specialist 55,000 65,000 Planning Manager 55,000 65,000
Buying Manager 65,000 75,000 Master Scheduler 50,000 65,000
Senior Buyer 50,000 65,000 Demand / Supply Planner 50,000 70,000
Buyer 45,000 55,000 Production Planner 40,000 55,000
Purchasing Manager 60,000 75,000 Buyer / Planner 40,000 55,000

Logistics
Director of Operations 100,000 120,000
Plant / Operations Manager 70,000 95,000
Logistics Manager 55,000 70,000
Logistics Coordinator 30,000 40,000
Warehouse Manager 50,000 65,000
Warehouse Supervisor 40,000 50,000
Stock Control Manager 33,000 45,000
Inventory Controller 30,000 35,000
Transport / Distribution Manager 40,000 50,000
Transport Supervisor 35,000 45,000
Shipping Manager 40,000 50,000
Freight Forwarding (Road/Rail/Ocean/ 35,000 45,000

Air)
Freight Specialists 40,000 50,000

Life Sciences
Overview
Ireland’s Life Sciences sector which includes Biotechnology,
Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices and Diagnostics companies,
employs over 50,000 people directly and exports more than
€45 billion annually. 18 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical
companies and 15 of the world’s top 25 MedTech companies
Gillian McMurrough
are in Ireland. We have a highly educated and highly skilled
Associate Director workforce.
Within Life Sciences there have been some factors impacting the
sector including product pricing and supply chain challenges.
But there have also been some positive advances such as the
use of technology (specifically AI and digitalisation) and remote
working and how this has changed and positively impacted the
way we work.

Product pricing
The rising cost of inflation – with it reaching 9.1% in July 2022, meant that there was an increase in the overall
cost of pharmaceuticals, biologics, devices, and diagnostics. This inflation and rise on product costing were due to
an increase in energy prices (gas and electricity), transportation costs and manufacturing input costs. Restrictive
pricing measures and rising costs could impact the availability of medicines. There was an increase in generics
manufacturing as a result.
Supply chain challenges

Manufacturers and CMO’s faced many challenges throughout COVID. There was a decrease in production, travel
restrictions, transport delays and capacity limitations, decreased production, As a result freight and logistics costs
increased. To absorb these setbacks, manufacturers need to develop stronger and more resilient supply chain
strategies to cope with changing demands.

The increased use of Artificial Intelligence
AI is very significant in drug discovery and development. Collaborations between big pharma and AI specialists is
now very common. Artificial intelligence, especially machine learning, has already become a crucial tool in clinical
trials - and AI-powered mobile devices have also improved various aspects of disease treatment and diagnostics. So,
the demand for this type of expertise in life sciences companies will only grow in the future.
Supply chain challenges

The use of technology to positively impact Life Sciences has become more and more prevalent. Remote
collaboration, reduction of travel (remote audits) and the decentralisation of clinical trials became even more
prevalent due to the pandemic. The use of technology for digital screening and diagnostics has massively expanded
as the HealthTech sector emerges as a large player in the wider economy.

Looking specifically at Life Sciences Recruitment, what started out as an extremely
busy year, became quiet during the summer. Naturally in recruitment, the summer
period is always quiet with site shutdowns and holiday leave. But this year we saw
several mid process budget reviews and, in some cases, hiring freezes. Coming into
the last quarter of 2022, it has certainly picked up as companies planned for the year
ahead.
Most candidates now have a minimum of 2 months’ notice period (in some cases 4-6
months). Organisations appreciate the recruitment process and time to hire so are
working ahead of time to ensure they get the right individuals on board.

Ireland continues to boom and In-demand skills
pioneer as we lead the way in The most in demand skillsets included Looking past some of the challenges,
Research & Drug Development Senior Quality professionals – specifically since late 2021 and throughout 2022
Qualified Person professionals and there have been several good news stories
Manufacturing and Supply Chain External Auditors, Senior R&D and within the Life Sciences sector across the
Drug Development / Formulations country. Ireland continues to boom and
professionals, Clinical Operations and pioneer as we lead the way in Research
Clinical Development, Project and & Drug Development, Manufacturing and
Programme management professionals Supply Chain and operate state of the
and Regulatory Affairs. art Centres of Excellence. We have had
investments, expansions, product / drug
Apart from the war for talent as announcements and exciting acquisitions
organisations compete for the same niche that have taken place.
skillsets, candidates are more conscious
of the overall cost of living. This has had Ireland is such an important contributor
an impact on salary expectations so to the Life Sciences sector globally,
they are factoring this into negotiations. so besides the challenges of energy,
Overall, we don’t expect to see the same inflation, supply chain challenges and
increase in salaries we saw in 2022, as war – we remain optimistic for 2023. We
organisations are trying to be conservative believe our highly educated and skilled
in their hiring and with budgets. This may workforce in this sector will continue
cause additional challenges if the cost of to position and contribute both at a
living does not decrease and candidates national and global level as we remain
remain optimistic in the hopes that their resilient and adaptable looking ahead.
expectations will be met.

Life Sciences 2023
Quality
Site Head of Quality / VP 180,000 220,000 Senior QA Specialist 60,000 70,000
Director of Quality 120,000 160,000 QC Analyst (3-5 years) 45,000 55,000
Associate Director Quality / Senior Manager 85,000 120,000 QC Analyst (1-3 years) 35,000 45,000
QA
Senior Microbiologist (3-6 years) 55,000 65,000
Qualified Person 80,0000 95,000
Microbiologist (1-3 years) 40,000 55,000
QA Lead / QA Supervisor 70,000 85,000
External Auditor 80,000 120,000
Responsible Person 80,000 95,000
Validation Manager 60,000 80,000
CMO / External Quality / Commercial Quality 80,000 90,000
Manager
QC Manager / Analytical Services 80,000 100,000
Manager
QC Supervisor 70,000 85,000
QA Specialist (3-5 years) 45,000 65,000

Regulatory Affairs Pharmacovigilance / Drug Safety
Head of Regulatory Affairs 180,000 200,000 PV Physician 80,000 100,000
Director of Regulatory Affairs 120,000 150,000 QPPV 80,000 90,000
Associate Director / Senior Manager 85,000 110,000 PV Systems Specialist 50,000 70,000
(standalone role no direct reports)
PV Team Lead 60,000 70,000
Associate Director / Senior Manager 90,000 120,000
PV Scientist 45,000 55,000
(managing small team)
PV Manager 80,000 90,000
Regulatory Affairs Manager 70,000 85,000
Medical Information & Compliance 50,000 55,000
Regulatory Affairs Specialist (3 – 6 years’ 55,000 70,000
Executive
experience)
Medical Writer 65,000 75,000
Regulatory Affairs Officer (1-3 years’ 40,000 55,000
experience)

Clinical Project & Programme Management
Head of Clinical Development 200,000 200,000 Programme / Project Director 120,000 140,000
Director Clinical Operations 120,000 150,000 Associate Director / Senior Manager 90,000 110,000
Associate Director Clinical Operations 90,000 110,000 Programme / Project Manager 80,000 100,000
Clinical Operations Manager 80,000 90,000 Project Specialist 65,000 7,000

Clinical PM 65,000 90,000
Research & Development Manufacturing / Process and Technical

R&D Director 120,000 150,000 Manufacturing lead (5-10 years’ 70,000 90,000
experience
R&D Manager 80,000 90,000
Technical Operations / Services 80,000 100,000
Formulation Manager 80,000 90,000
Manager
Development Chemist (3+ years’ exp.) 50,000 65,000
Technical Operations / Services professional 65,000 80,000
Development Chemist (1-3 years’ exp.) 40,000 55,000 (5+ years’ experience)

Business Services
- Business Support Permanent 84
- Business Support Temporary & Contract 89
- Human Resources 92

Business Services
Overview
During the course of 2021 we saw a consistent monthly Candidates also favour companies who show flexibility
uplift in terms of vacancies for business support in terms of working hours, having the ability to work
professionals and 2022 has been no different! We outside the normal 9-5pm is key to providing the work
have seen unprecedented levels of requirements for life balance that candidates now seek post-pandemic.
business support professional across all industry sectors Unfortunately, this means that employers who do not
Emma Anglim
transcending all levels of vacancies. This has been driven have a flexible working offering may ultimately lose in the
Director
by new and additional business support requirements war for talent in 2023. This can favour smaller companies
and vacancies arising from the volume of candidates that can be more flexible with their working models and
leaving their current roles who need to be replaced. remuneration packages.
Despite pessimism in some corners, market confidence is

relatively good and this, coupled with low unemployment
rates, bodes for a very competitive candidate driven
market for business support recruitment. The structure
of a company’s working model has remained the biggest
factor in candidate’s decision-making processes when
choosing their next opportunity. A hybrid working model
with two or three days working in the office is the model of
choice.

Employers who facilitate part-time
hours or a reduced working week,
will have access to an increased
During the pandemic, many business support candidates had time to reflect
talent pool when recruiting. and re-evaluate their priorities and we have noticed a significant increase
in candidates requesting and favouring part-time positions. Clients that can
facilitate part-time hours or a reduced working week, will very much have the
upper hand and indeed access to an increased talent pool when recruiting.
Other key deciding factors for business support professionals are valid
and rewarding career paths and the potential for progression within an
organisation. Remuneration packages still feature very highly on candidate’s
agenda. We have seen a 5-10% increase in basic salaries across business
support roles, but business support candidates now have an expectation
that companies will provide healthcare, pension and quite often a bonus
as standard. Companies not providing these benefits may miss out on key
talent.

Competitive Market
Taking market factors into consideration, It is likely that many companies will adapt to
speed to market and the length of hiring this methodology over the year so continuous
processes need to be forefront in any adaptation is important and partnering
employer’s mind. Candidates who are active closely with your recruitment teams and/
in the market are now in multiple recruitment or recruitment partner is key to staying
processes and quality talent does not remain ahead of the curve in this regard. Employee
on the market for long. engagement and retention will also be critical
for companies moving forward to ensure they
Lengthy hiring processes may result in hold on to their key staff members.
employers losing out on their top choice
of candidate. We have seen a shift in the
market where companies are overhauling
their recruitment processes, with the most
successful companies streamlining their
interview processes to 2 weeks or less. This
will be crucial to beat the competition for the
best talent.

Key Trends
The key trends in relation to permanent Another trend that we have seen creeping
business support recruitment have been in and becoming more prevalent is the
for Personal and Executive Assistants and requirement for receptionists. As companies
Administrators. Many of these vacancies now have employees on site for a minimum of
are brand new positions created due to the three days a week and are reverting to having
increased workload for C-Suite Executives on-site client meetings, have a presence on
but it’s also due to the fact that some reception is paramount.
companies made these roles redundant
at the start of the pandemic and are now Job security also continues to feature on the
looking to refill them. The industry sectors wish list for business support professionals.
driving this requirement are professional Candidates are looking for reassurance that
and financial services, aviation leasing, their role and the company will be secure
pharma and IT. We have also seen a dramatic in the event of a change in the economy
increase in the demand for legal secretaries and are taking this into consideration when
and personal assistants across mid-tier looking to secure a new position.
and top tier firms across all practice areas.

Business Support (Perm)
Customer Service Operations/Administration
Customer Service Manager 40,000 55,000 Operations Manager 55,000 80,000
Customer Services Team Lead 35,000 45,000 Office Manager 40,000 60,000
Customer Service Representative 28,000 35,000 Executive Assistant 55,000 70,000
Bilingual Customer Service 30,000 40,000 Senior Personal Assistant 45,000 45,000
Representative
Personal Assistant 35,000 45,000
Medical Secretary 30,000 45,000

Legal Support Senior Administrator 35,000 45,000
Job Title € Low € High Administrator 28,000 40,000
Legal PA (5+ years’ exp) 40,000 52,000 Sales Administrator 28,000 35,000
Legal Secretary 35,000 45,000 Senior Receptionist 35,000 45,000
Legal Administrator 30,000 35,000 Receptionist 28,000 35,000
Data Entry 25,000 30,000

Office Junior 23,000 28,000

Temp and Contract
2022 has been an exceptionally We have also seen a substantial
busy year for temporary and increase in clients that require
contract business support division administration staff for medium
in Brightwater and we expect and long term assignments. These
this to continue well into 2023. requests have arisen due to factors
Employees have been returning such as headcount restrictions,
to travel and their employers busy projects and maternity and
have facilitated this by taking on paternity cover and are mainly in
temporary staff to cover annual the public and semi-state sectors.
leave. Thus, candidates who are Many of these temporary and
immediately available and are contract roles are also converting
happy to facilitate short term to permanent roles for successful
Many temporary and contract assignments, are in high demand. candidates
roles are also converting to
permanent roles for successful
candidates.

Business Support Temp & Contract
Job Title € p/h * Job Title € p/h *
Office Manager 22.00 Legal Personal Assistant 25.00
Executive Assistant 30.00 Legal Secretary 20.00
Personal Assistant (5 years’ +) 25.00 Legal Administrator 15.00
Personal Assistant (0-5 years’ exp.) 20.00 Customer Service Manager 27.00
Medical Secretary 20.00 Customer Service Representative 15.00
Senior Administrator 18.00 Multilingual Customer Service 17.00

Representative
Administrator 18.00
Sales Administrator 17.00
Receptionist (5 years’ + exp.) 20.00
Receptionist (0-5 years’ exp.) 16.00
Data Entry Administrator 14.00
The above hourly rates are candidates’ pay and are exclusive of the employer’s PRSI, holiday pay, payroll charges and Brightwater’s management fee. They are based on the candidate working a 37.5 hour week.

Looking to 2023
We expect the demand for business support professionals to continue to grow
and also increase well into 2023.
As companies return to the new normal, workloads increase and new

companies set up in Ireland, there will be an increase in demand for business
support staff on a temporary, contract and permanent basis as they are the
backbone of many organisations.
We expect further upward pressure on salaries and remuneration packages and

also flexible working solutions, in those key areas and industries where demand
is strong and companies have to offer more to secure the talent they require.

Human Resources
Overview
Over the last two years, the pandemic has disrupted war for talent, every organisation wants to be perceived
businesses on a massive scale and Human Resources as an employer of choice, supportive in all aspects of their
has been at the very epicentre of it. HR professionals have employees’ lives. This has expanded beyond mere physical
had to adapt and engage with employees on a much more wellbeing to include career progression, financial wellbeing
flexible and proactive level than ever before. They have as well as being mindful of mental health. In many cases,
had to work closely with senior management on creating these types of packages are extended to the employee’s
tailored employee engagement programmes, flexible dependents as well. It’s no longer simply about the basic
compensation packages as well as keeping up to date with salary and standard bonus, it’s about the whole employee
ever evolving work models — from in-person to virtual and value proposition.
hybrid environments.
The shift to dealing with skill shortages happened quickly,
Benefits in demand It’s becoming increasingly difficult leading to the attraction and retention of employees
to recruit key talent if employers are not flexible in their becoming the top priority for 2022 and onwards. This
working models. While the flexibility of hybrid working has resulted in new strategies around recruitment and
seems to be the preferred model, that throws up the resourcing. Employees are re-evaluating what they expect
question of employee engagement and managing the from their working life and changing their expectations.
social dynamic between employees. Reengagement and reintegration of employees has moved
centre stage and promoting inclusive cultures and cultures
No longer seen as just another employee benefit, that embrace diversity continue to remain a high priority.
employee wellbeing is almost viewed as a necessity. In the

Ensure your employer brand truly
reflects your company culture.
During the pandemic, a raft of new employment legislation was proposed,
much of this has now been further progressed. One of the most significant
changes in planning is the area of sick pay, and the introduction of a new
statutory sick pay scheme to cover all employees will have a significant
effect on organisations with no company sick pay scheme.
Employee turnover more than doubled last year to 18% from 8% in 2020,
and it is expected to increase further this year to 18.2%. Over half (56%)
of employers cited ‘Higher salary with the new employer’ as the main
reason for the increasing employee turnover with ‘Career progression’
at second and ‘Better work-life balance’ at third. In an effort to address
this challenge, half of (54%) employers have or will be increasing salaries
in 2022 with an average increase of 5.3%. This increases for smaller
employers with less than 50 employees with six in 10 (63%) increasing
salaries by 6.6%.
A lesson learned in 2022, don’t focus solely on attracting talent, focus

on retaining talent too. Ensure your employer brand truly reflects your
company culture and make sure your candidate experience is relatively
quick & easy.

Key Trends
The Talent Acquisition/ Recruitment Specialist market remains very competitive.
Permanent options are plentiful in the market, offering competitive salaries and benefits
packages. There has been a much higher demand for HRIS Analysts, Compensation &
Benefits Analysts as well as Project Managers in HR.
We have seen this across industries such as Financial Services, Pharma and IT. Specialist
roles are consistently required, such as Learning & Organisational Design Specialists and
we will see requirements for these roles ramp up in 2023.

Human Resources 2023
Generalist HR Compensation & Benefits (C&B) / Reward
Job Title € Low € Low Job Title € Low € High
HR VP - Director 95,000 160,000 C&B / Reward Manager 65,0000 85,000
Senior HR Manager/ Business Partner 70,000 95,000 C&B / Reward Specialist 50,000 65,000
HR Manager/ Business Partner 60,000 80,000
HR Advisor 50,000 55,000 Talent Acquisition / Recruitment
HR Generalist / HR Officer 35,000 50,000
HR Administrator 30,000 45,000
Talent Acquisition/Recruitment Manager 65,000 90,000
Talent Acquisition/Recruitment 40,000 65,000
Learning & Development (L&D) Specialist
Job Title € Low € High Talent Acquisition/Recruitment 35,000 50,000

Coordinator
L&D Manager 60,000 80,000
L&D Specialist 45,000 60,000

HR Information Systems
HR IS Manager 75,000 95,000
HR IS Analyst 50,000 65,000+
Other Key Specialist Areas

OD Manager / Change Manager 70,000 100,000
Employee Relations (ER) Manager 65,000 90,000
Employee Relations (ER) Specialist 50,000 65,000
Global Mobility Manager 100,000 120,000

Global Mobility Specialist 70,000 90,000

DUBLIN CORK
36 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 49 South Mall, Cork
+353 1 662 1000 l dublin@brightwater.ie +353 21 422 1000 l cork@brightwater.ie
www.brightwater.ie

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Financial Controller VP - Director 85,000 120,000 Financial Accountant 58,000 65,000

Finance Manager 80,000 100,000 Management Accountant 58,000 65,000

Commercial Accountant 60,000 75,000

Project Accountant 70,000 90,000

Cost Accountant 60,000 75,000

Financial Analyst 55,000 70,000

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Financial Controller 43.58 61.53 Financial Accountant 29.74 33.33

Finance Manager 41.01 51.28 Management Accountant 29.74 30.76

Commercial Accountant 30.76 38.46

Project Accountant 35.90 46.15

Cost Accountant 30.76 38.46

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This is the number one driver

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According to the latest @bankofIreland economic pulse survey Irish companies

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Demand for 2023

Other in-demand roles include Investment Managers, Investment Risk

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Trade Execution Dealer 50,000 65,000 Equity Analyst 45,000 55,000

Portfolio Manager 80,000 110,000 Credit Analyst 45,000 55,000

Product Specialist 45,000 65,000 Senior Research Analyst 50,000 65,000

Investment Manager 80,000 140,000 Research Analyst 45,000 55,000

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Payments Specialist 40,000 45,000 Private Banking VP - Director 140,000 160,000

Private Clients Advisor 45,000 58,000

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Client Services Administrator 40,000 50,000

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Compliance VP - Director 100,000 140,000 Fraud Manager 55,000 55,000

Compliance Manager (VP) 90,000 120,000 Fraud Analyst 45,000 55,000

(5-7 years’ exp.) Corporate Governance Specialist 50,000 60,000

Compliance Manager (AVP) 80,000 100,000

(3-5 years’ exp.)

Head of AML 100,000 140,000

AML Manager 80,000 115,000

AML Specialist 60,000 75,000

Data Protection Officer 80,000 115,000

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