Prospective college students currently considering third-level courses will naturally want to know what the jobs market will look like when they finish college in three or four years’ time.
While we cannot predict the future with any certainty, we can identify some of the factors likely to shape the graduate market.
The dramatic rise in artificial intelligence places a question mark over many jobs, including in finance, engineering, teaching, healthcare and retail.
However, AI can’t function without humans to give it prompts, and this new technology may well create jobs as people are freed up to focus more on complex tasks.
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The climate emergency and the slowing of the jet stream over Europe is genuinely alarming, and a changed climate may significantly disrupt food production and, more widely, the global economy.
But, decarbonisation and a shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy appears to be unstoppable: wind, solar, geothermal and wave energies will create millions of jobs across the world, including many in Ireland.
This doesn’t factor in the uncertainty surrounding the Trump presidency and the impact it will have on Ireland and the rest of the world, especially if he manages to bring multinational firms - which pay a huge amount of corporation tax in Ireland - back to the US.
This uncertainty can be worrisome for students, especially those considering what jobs are likely to be in demand in 2029 or 2030, when they graduate from third-level (or earlier, if they move into the workplace directly after completing further education).
So, should students have an eye on the future when choosing their course, or should they simply go with their heart?
The answer is both. It’s worth knowing what areas are likely to be in demand, while also avoiding going into them purely because it seems like you might get a job, because there really is no amount of money in the world that can compensate for doing a job you hate.
Sinéad Brady, a career psychologist and the author of Total Reset: Quit Living to Work and Start Working to Live, says that most college courses will teach a number of transferable skills that set graduates up for many different jobs in many different areas.
“What you do in college will teach you the skills that you need in the workplace,” Brady says.
“We can talk about skills in demand, but we need people in the workplace who can bring together arguments, who know how to ask questions and who can understand different perspectives. We need people who can get along with others.
“There are courses that require certain technical proficiencies and meet professional standards (such as, for instance, medicine or engineering), but a degree, ultimately, provides a standard base of knowledge and should develop someone who had good communication skills and can get along with others, has good critical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Most workplaces can teach you the other technical or professional skills that you need.”
As an example of this, consultancy and accounting firms will take people from any degree or background and train them up on a graduate recruitment programme. Indeed, some of these firms have dropped the degree requirement entirely and are instead focusing on people with a Leaving Certificate or equivalent standard who show promise and whose human skills can be developed through training.
At SOLAS, Ireland’s further education and training agency, Joan McNaboe heads up the skills and labour market research team. She is currently helping her own child with their CAO and further education options.
“I know about careers, but engaging 16-18 year olds, and getting them to look at jobs and careers they may be interested in down the road - beyond very visible professions like nurse, teacher or garda - can be challenging,” McNaboe says.
“It’s worth doing the research to find what courses you’re interested in, and [their web pages] will all advise what potential occupations they could lead to. But while it is no harm to also bear in mind where the jobs may be, the idea of a career for life is disappearing. The chance that you will actually work in the exact area you get a qualification in may be slim, so you might think of a starting block for your career, because lifelong learning will be key.”
McNaboe points out that the majority of jobs which are common now simply didn’t exist a century ago, while many newer roles, such as data analysts and content creator (or “influencer”) are very new.
For all of this, there are some certainties.
“We know that the population is ageing, so demand for healthcare will increase - although of course, we don’t know how much it will be funded, and that may come back to economic factors,” says McNaboe.
“There will be jobs in wind, solar and water energy, as well as in sustainable farming. If we talk of housing targets as far out as 2040, there will be jobs in construction, with sustainability requirements leading to some interesting new methods.
“There are roles in business and finance: if we made projections now, regulation, compliance and blockchain would all seem like growth areas, but it could also be something completely new.”
With McNaboe possibly having a better finger on the pulse than anyone else when it comes to future jobs, does she worry about the threat to employment posed by AI?
“Yes, there is a lot of talk of AI, but empathy, caring and innovation will always be in demand, and these are skills you can develop during your college years. You can also develop writing skills through a course, and these will always be needed. And you can also combine creative skills with another option so, for instance, somebody with sales and marketing combined with a technical, language or creative skill would be very employable.”
Brady points out that there are backdoor routes into most professions, so you can do a general degree and then convert it into a postgraduate qualification at a later date.
“Think of your degree or further education qualification as a passport that will open gates for you,” she says.
“Third-levels are already factoring in employability into their courses, so what is most important is to do something you enjoy if you choose to go to college.”
McNaboe is a case in point as to how a degree will not necessarily align with your future employment.
“I studied psychology in college,” she says.
“I don’t work as a psychologist today, but the research skills that I developed have been useful and now, being around economists, I have a strong grasp of the social side of it.”
Ultimately, Brady says that your further and higher education applications need to tell a story.
“This may be that I chose this level eight because I would like to go to this college and do this degree, and is there a story that you can happily and comfortably tell? Consider what pathways it will open to you.”
Sidebar: Employment trends
The skills and labour market unit at Solas has built extensive and very accessible information and guidance on employment trends and the employment outlook for various occupations and employee profiles in each occupation, including science and engineering, ICT, business and finance, healthcare, education, social and care, legal and security, agriculture and animal care, hospitality and more.
Just google “skills and labour market career guidance at SOLAS” for more information.
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