Almost half of Mayo people expect a salary rise this year

Almost half of Mayo people (48%) expect to receive a salary raise this year, according to research conducted by leading recruitment agency, FRS Recruitment. Additionally, nine out of 10 Mayo workers would be willing to change jobs for a salary increase of 20% or less and 61% of people in the county believe their salary fairly reflects their current role.

The research also showed that the majority of people in Mayo (55%) believe they could find a new job in 3 months or less. This is below the national average of 70% of people who would be confident of securing a new role in that same period.

While 5 out of 8 Mayo workers (62%) say they fear for their job security, but only one in five (22%) would consider a pay cut if their job was at risk.

This data was revealed in the annual FRS Recruitment Employment Insights Report, which has been conducted by FRS Recruitment every year since 2009 to help gauge the outlook for the employment market from the perspective of employees and employers alike. A total of 1,987 people took part this year.

Four in five Mayo employees (78%) have also been asked to spend more days in the office over the last year. Nationally, as many as 2 in every 3 employees (65%) have been asked to do the same.

When it comes to Mayo employers, nine out of 10 are concerned about the current economic outlook, which is ahead of the national average (72%). 77% of local employers also say they are less likely to hire this year if the US imposes additional tariffs that apply to Ireland.

Concerns about the economy are also shared by the wider public in Mayo, with more than two thirds (68%) believing the economy will only remain at full employment for another year or less.

Nine out of 10 employers in Mayo also acknowledge they have had difficulty securing new talent this year, while four in every five Mayo based employers also say more employees have been looking to change jobs in the last 12 months.

Across the country, interviewing is the part of the hiring process that takes the most time according to 3 out of 8 employers (37%), followed by screening candidates (35%) and onboarding (9%).

Most employers (56%) say they conduct 2 – 3 interviews during the hiring process, 3 in 8 (38%) say they only do one interview, 4% conduct 4 or 5 rounds of interviews and 2% conduct more than 5 rounds.

Speaking about the research, Lynne McCormack, General Manager of FRS Recruitment said, “There is certainly a significant number of people in Mayo and around the country who expect to receive a salary bump this year.

This isn’t a new development, as there has been pressure on salaries in Mayo over several years now in light of the rising cost of living and the general health of the economy.

“Some people in Mayo feel quite secure in their jobs. Most also believe that if they were to lose their job in the morning, they could quickly source an alternative. These are some of the factors that are giving them the confidence to expect better remuneration.

“However, what is different is that this outlook isn’t being matched on the employer side. While most employers in Mayo do plan to offer their staff a small wage raise this year, it is questionable as to whether this would be enough to meet staff expectations.

That could create a considerable amount of movement in the market, given how many people say they will change jobs for a 20% raise or less.

“Most employers in Mayo and around the country are already acknowledging they are facing challenges finding the right staff, with salary expectations being a key factor.

It is also notable that Mayo based employers are taking a less favourable view of the broader economic conditions, with concerns about the general outlook growing and the potential impact of US tariffs also likely to influence the number of job opportunities coming to market.

“It will be interesting to see how this impacts the dynamics of the Mayo employment market in the coming months and whether local employers are able to give their staff what they want, or if less positive economic conditions begin to temper employee expectations,” Ms. McCormack concluded.