25th April 2017
Ahead of the CIPD Ireland Annual Conference, new research shows growing focus on attracting and retaining talent
Attracting and retaining talent is the top priority for Irish business over the next two years, according to research from CIPD Ireland, the professional body for HR and people development. Four in five organisations have experienced skills shortages in the past two years and are now increasing development opportunities (57%) and upskilling the workforce (63%) to help grow their talent pipeline.
These will be just some of the issues discussed as CIPD Ireland meets for its annual conference on ‘Shaping the Future of Work’ on 25 April 2017, which will also look how to use change to create more innovative workplaces, the appropriate role of technology and how to make more ethical decisions.
Further research from CIPD Ireland in March 2017 on pay trends showed that in 2016, a third of employers made a counter-offer when an employee stated their intention to resign and 38% agreed there was a likelihood for additional pay increases for specific groups/ individuals.
Mary Connaughton, Director of CIPD Ireland says:“It is important that employers create positive work environments and at the same time maintain cost competitiveness”.
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, who is opening the CIPD Ireland Annual Conference says: “Ireland at present is in the very positive position of having the lowest unemployment rate in a decade, standing currently at 6.4%. However, we are facing challenges such as Brexit and difficulties in our external trading environment. The Government’s Action Plan for Jobs 2017 will support the creation by business in all sectors and regions of an additional 45,000 jobs in 2017, towards our target of achieving full employment and an extra 200,000 people at work by 2020. Talent and innovation play an important role in job creation, even more so now in the context of Brexit”.
Even during this period of employment growth, we have seen sectorial shifts with job losses in administration and elementary roles, matched with jobs growth in professional and services occupations.
Mary Connaughton, Director of CIPD Ireland, says “All these changes mean investing more in developing organisations and people, and supporting individuals to learn and earn throughout their life. Having workplace in Ireland future-fit means getting the government to support accredited learning throughout life including when people have left formal education; to examine alternative income mechanisms, such as the universal basic income to deal with more unstructured and insecure work patterns; and to take action to address Ireland’s looming pension crisis”.
CIPD research shows a gap between the aspiration of how people should be treated at work and what leaders do in practice. When asked “Should people have a say in what happens then at work?”, two-thirds of HR and business leaders (66%) believed it was the right thing to do, but only one in four (24%) said they always apply the principle. This demonstrates the need for a more ethical and principled approach by organisations and leaders.
At the CIPD Ireland Annual Conference, Paulo Gallo of the World Economic Forum addresses responsible leadership and the need for a strong moral compass. As part of shaping a future of work that is principled and builds trust, the CIPD will launch a set of principles to help guide good decisions in the workplace, especially needed when there are no obvious solutions or precedents.
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CIPD Press Enquiries
Marianne Doyle
Communications Manager
Press office: +35316344255
Notes to editor
- Mary Connaughton, Director CIPD Ireland, is available for interview
- The CIPD Annual Conference 2017 ‘Shaping the Future of Work’ takes place in Croke Park on 25 April 2017. Members of the media may request to attend by emailing: marianne.doyle@cipd.ie
- Based in Dublin, CIPD Ireland has more than 5,000 members spread across seven regions. It is committed to supporting the ever-changing needs of the local HR and business communities.
- The CIPD is the professional body for HR and people development. The not for profit organisation champions better work and working lives and has been setting the benchmark for excellence in people and organisation development for more than 100 years. It has a community of over 140,000 members across the world, provides thought leadership through independent research on the world of work, and offers professional training and accreditation for those working in HR and learning and development. www.cipd.ie
- Research cited in this press release can be found in full:
HR Practices in Ireland January 2017, CIPD Ireland: www.cipd.ie/media/CIPD-HR-Practices-in-Ireland-Survey-2017-Final_tcm1057-9996.pdf
CIPD/ IRN Private Sector Pay Survey 2017: www.cipd.ie/media/CIPD-IRN-Private-Sector-Pay-Survey-2017_tcm1057-10456.pdf
Developing principles of the profession: www.cipd.co.uk/Images/best-good-practice-hr-developing-principles-profession_tcm18-8731.pdf
The Future of Work is Human: www.futureworkishuman.org/
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