Mid-West Relocation Survey

Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017

Introduction There has never been a better time to secure a career in the Mid-West region, which is going through a period of positive and sustained growth. Highly-qualified people both those originally from the region and those new to the area are being attracted in large numbers to the Mid-West and taking up enviable careers with indigenous and multinational employers. The 2017 Mid-West Relocation Survey examines the motivations and experiences of professionals who are relocating to the region. And the good news is that they are happy with their decision.

Some 93 have said they are satisfied or very satisfied with their relocation and 72 said they now have a better balance between their working and home lives. Interestingly, while 45 of those who moved back were originally from the Mid-West region, some 42 relocated from outside of Ireland. There are many factors for this movement of talent towards the Mid-West including a dramatic increase in the jobs market over the last number of years as well as an employment rate that is below the national average. This positive and sustained growth in the Mid- West region is one of the reasons why, in February, Recruitment and HR Services company Collins McNicholas opened a new branch in Limerick to service the region. In fact the first four employees of the Mid-West branch were originally from Limerick and all of them had been working out of the county before being appointed including myself. Originally from Limerick and a graduate of UL, I had worked in both Dublin and Cork. Up until recently, I was living in Limerick but commuting to Cork and did not have my eyes open to the positive changes in the social environment and the wealth of career opportunities in my home region. Since taking up the role as Regional Manager for Collins McNicholas, I have been committed to showcasing the region as a place not just to secure a job but also to build a career and enjoy an enviable pace of life. The reason we carried out the Mid-West Relocation Survey, in conjunction with Limerick Chamber, was to provide an insight into why an increasing number of highly-skilled professionals are relocating to the region and to discover how satisfied they are with life here. The findings clearly show that the Mid-West region is delivering on all fronts from career opportunities to a positive lifestyle for those who have chosen to relocate here. David Fitzgibbon Collins McNicholas, Mid-West Regional Manager Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 1

The Mid-West Region is the fastest growing region nationally for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with IDA Ireland client companies recording, in 2016, the largest one-year increase in employment on record. The region continues to demonstrate its strength across multiple employment sectors attracting companies such as Regeneron, Zimmer Biomet, Element Six, First Data, Uber and Northern Trust to name but a few. The Mid-West Relocation Survey, carried out by Collins McNicholas, in conjunction with Limerick Chamber, is timely in demonstrating why the Mid-West is fast becoming a destination of choice for top talent. It is a fascinating insight into the key attributes those surveyed highlight as being uniquely attractive to this region. The availability of talent both graduates and experienced professionals is one of the key factors for a multinational when considering a location to do business in. The Mid-West already benefits from having four thirdlevel institutions in the region, supplemented by the work of state-training agencies and conversion programmes. However, there exists further requirement for experienced professionals to supplement this graduate pool and fulfil exciting career opportunities being offered by world-leading companies. This survey demonstrates exactly why you can have the City job, Country life in the Mid-West. With 89 of professionals saying they would recommend relocating, the future looks bright as the region continues to attract top talent and companies alike. Limerick and the entire Mid-West is now one of the fastest growing investment and development locations in Ireland. Limerick City, the capital of the Mid-West, is at the heart of this positive change and is enjoying an unprecedented period of growth supported by a very active public/ private sector partnership. This work is guided by Limerick Economic and Spatial Strategy 2030, which sets out an innovative programme to deliver a total of 12,000 jobs by 2030 with some 5,000 of those jobs specifically located in Limerick City Centre. It will also deliver 1.4m square feet of office and enterprise space and a 500 million investment across a number of key strategic sites in the city centre that will anchor four new economic campuses. This strategy is working and unlocking numerous opportunities. At the same time, our existing companies are expanding, new industries are investing and our indigenous industries are scaling based on Limerick s competitive advantage, which Limerick City and County Council is committed to ensuring continues along with our partners. This Mid-West Relocation Survey, carried out by Collins McNicholas, in conjunction with Limerick Chamber, provides real-time and invaluable information on the benefits of relocation to Limerick. We hope it inspires and encourages you to visit Limerick in 2017 to see the changes underway and the opportunities that are emerging which I know you will become excited about! Niall O Callaghan Business & Relationship Development Manager, Mid-West Region, IDA Ireland Dr Pat Daly Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Economic Development, Limerick City & County Council 2 Collins McNicholas

Creating a good work-life balance is something that all of us strive for to ensure we can enjoy healthier and happier lives. So it is heartening to see our belief that this is one of the attractions of living and working in Limerick confirmed in this survey. Almost three-quarters of people who relocated to Limerick say they now have a better worklife balance, 70 say they have a quicker work commute and 61 are spending less than 20 minutes getting to work. Many of the people who visit or indeed have come to live in Limerick are shocked at the time it takes to get around. While we have the great benefits of living in a city such as career options, excellent retail outlets and social infrastructure we don t have a problem with traffic congestion. The cost of living as well as the cost of property in Limerick is lower than all of the country s four cities. The result of this, combined with career options, means that, outside of Dublin, Limerick has the highest disposable income per capita in the country. Our massive sporting heritage is unrivalled and Limerick boasts a strong cultural identity. This survey, carried out by Collins McNicholas, in conjunction with Limerick Chamber, proves what we already knew that Limerick is an attractive place in which to find that almost elusive work-life balance. Dr James Ring CEO, Limerick Chamber Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 3

Age of Respondents 25-34 18-24 25-34 18-24 18-2425-34 35-44 35-44 35-44 1010 3535 10 they relocated 35 from Where 24 24 24 9 1 USA DONEGAL 9 DONEGAL 9 USA 5 1 GALWAY OFFALY 5 1 OFFALY 1 11 GALWAY KERRY 55-64 65+ 26 26 4 41 1 26 4 1 42 1 2 33 USA 42 1 14 2 9 IRELAND 42OUTSIDE PORTUGAL UK BELGIUM OUTSIDE IRELAND (excl. N.I.) 1 FRANCE PHILLIPINES 1 14 2 9 1 1 14 2 9 1 PORTUGAL PORTUGAL UK (excl. N.I.) UK (excl. N.I.) BELGIUM BELGIUM FRANCE PHILLIPINES FRANCE PHILLIPINES DUBLIN KILDARE 33 233 LAOIS GALWAY 55 45-54 OUTSIDE IRELAND 1 DONEGAL 1 45-54 55-64 55-64 45-54 65+ 65+ OFFALY CORK 1 1 2 DUBLIN LAOIS 5 1 KILDARE DUBLIN AUSTRALIA CAYMAN ISLANDS KILDARE LAOIS 5 KERRY 5 KERRY 5 1 11 AUSTRALIA 5 CAYMAN ISLANDS 1 11 CORK AUSTRALIA CAYMAN ISLANDS CORK Where they are from 30originally 45 IRELAND 55 OUTSIDE MID-WEST 25 INTERNATIONAL MID-WEST 30 4530 IRELAND 45 IRELAND MID-WEST MID-WEST 4 Collins McNicholas 55 55 OUTSIDE MID-WEST OUTSIDE MID-WEST 25 INTERNATIONAL 25 INTERNATIONAL

Eoin O Sullivan Site Lead, Uber, Limerick I commuted from my home town of Limerick to Dublin for almost three years on a weekly basis, travelling up early Monday mornings and back late Friday nights. For me it was unsustainable. It wasn t just the travel and being away from my family, it was the complete lack of work-life balance. The move back to Limerick changed my life completely. The pace of life now is much better and it has had a huge impact on my energy levels as I can use my downtime now to relax and recharge. It has allowed me to spend more time with my family but also has given me more free time and I m back playing football; something I had to give up for years. I feel that many people don t realise the amount of really great job opportunities there are now in Limerick. I was talking to someone just last week who is in San Francisco and who wants to come home but he hadn t realised how vibrant the Mid-West had become. Companies like Uber have decided to locate in the Mid-West and there are many more who are interested in doing the same. Someone recently said that we were almost at full employment in Limerick but when you take the amount of people from this region who want to move home, there are many more skilled workers available to the Mid-West. Like me, they are hoping to move back for a better pace of life and to finally have that work-life balance. Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 5

Caroline Kelleher Director of Public Affairs, Shannon Group Both my fiancé and I are originally from Kerry and were working in Dublin for eight years when we decided to leave Dublin to be closer to our families. However, it was difficult for us to both get jobs at the same time so, in January 2016, we took a career break and went travelling around South America for 10 months. When we came back, we moved to Limerick where I was initially working with Limerick Chamber for six months before taking up my current role with Shannon Group. The quality of life is so much better here; the commute to work is shorter, there s less traffic, less congestion, less noise, and there are also great career opportunities. The move to Limerick has allowed us to have more time with our families and we are no longer spending all our weekends travelling to see people, which took up a lot of our time. Now I have more time to do my own thing. I have every Friday evening free, instead of spending the evening travelling down from Dublin and, on weekends, I can take my nephews, who live in Clare, to Bunratty Folk Park or we all go out to Lahinch. In Limerick, you have the city; there s so many good pubs and restaurants as well as the shopping. And then you have the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way on your doorstep you really have the best of both worlds. 6 Collins McNicholas

Where they live Where they work 13 CLARE 5 CLARE 75 LIMERICK 9 TIPPERARY 94 LIMERICK 1 TIPPERARY Their level of education PhD/Doctorate 5 Post Grad 42 Degree 34 Diploma 13 Higher Certificate Leaving Cert 2 4 The Mid-West attracts a lot of highly educated professionals; 96 have a 3rd level qualification. 96 THIRD- LEVEL Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 7

The sector they worked in before relocating Healthcare Charity / NGO 1 1 HR & Training Arts / Entertainment Accountancy Pharmaceutical Engineering Manufacturing 2 3 3 4 5 5 Other Public Sector Retail / Hospitality 9 9 9 Customer/ Shared Services Professional Services Banking & Financial Services 10 11 12 ICT 16 The sector they work in now ICT Charity / NGO Manufacturing Engineering Retail / Hospitality Healthcare Other HR & Training Medical Devices 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 Public Sector Professional Services Banking & Financial Services 7 7 7 Customer/ Shared Services 16 39 The amount of experience they have in their current sector of employment 48 15 22 15 0-5 Years 6-10 Years 11-20 Years 21+ Years 8 Collins McNicholas

Daniel Smith Professional Services Manager, Action Point My intention when I moved to Australia at the end of 2007 was to travel and keep my options open but the timing could not have been better, considering what happened to the Irish economy shortly afterwards. I was very conscious of what was happening at home and decided to settle in Perth. After getting married in 2012, my wife, who is from Leeds in the UK, and myself started to feel the draw home. We decided to move to Limerick, as I am from Clarina just outside the city to be close to family. We kept an eye on the economic situation in the Mid- West to see what opportunities were there and around 2014, we decided it was the right time to move and found out my wife was pregnant when travelling home. I initially got a short contract with a company in Galway and commuted but then found work with Action Point in Limerick. Since I have come home, I have noticed a huge change in the prospects in the Mid-West; it is now an employee s market. If I was in Australia right now, the outlook for returning home would be completely different as there are far more opportunities in both a large number of multinationals and small businesses who are flying the green flag so it is a great time to move back. I haven t regretted a minute since returning home; our experiences have all been positive. We spend a lot of time with family while enjoying a great lifestyle and a much slower pace of life. Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 9

Marie Aimee Giard Team Leader, Uber, Limerick Moving to Ireland from France was an important decision for me professionally. After a varied career in France, I was keen to progress one of my main professional goals, which is to improve my English so I can work my way further up the career ladder. I am eager to learn every day, challenge myself and grow within a company so my move to Uber in Limerick in June 2016 was perfect for me. I feel that working with Uber has given me the tools to build on my skills as well as learn new ones. While there is more responsibility within my role, there is a great support network within the company. I was immediately impressed by the friendly atmosphere at Uber; it is like a big family, and that s really authentic. People trust you, encourage your entrepreneurial mindset, help you to learn and develop your potential. It is fast paced, dynamic and innovative, but in a relaxed environment. I think that culture is down to both the company and the location here in Limerick. My work hours really suit a work-life balance and, combined with a good salary, allows me to do a lot of travelling. I m really happy that I made the choice to move to Ireland and I enjoy my life in Limerick. Although it is not a huge city, it is dynamic and you can enjoy a really good quality of life, and a nice lifestyle. It s a friendly and welcoming city; I can only recommend it! 10 Collins McNicholas

Why they wanted to move to the Mid- West Quality of Life 88 12 Career Opportunities 49 47 4 Safer Environment 35 43 22 Less Traffic 30 48 22 Lower Property Prices 29 51 20 Reduced Cost of Living 28 66 6 Beautiful Scenery 28 47 25 Extremely important Moderately important Not important at all The difference between their Mid- West commute and their previous commute Length of their Mid- West commute SLOWER 6 Commute takes longer now 24 QUICKER 0-20 mins 23 21-40 mins 23 41-60 mins 8 60+ mins 41-60 minutes Over 60 minutes 29 4 6 61 0-20 minutes NO CHANGE 16 21-40 minutes 70 have a quicker commute since relocating to the Mid-West 90 commute to work in under 40 minutes Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 11

Their ability to find work in the region Has their work/life balance improved since the move to the Mid- West? 74 did not consider it difficult to find a job in did not consider the Mid-West it difficult to 74 74 Yes did not consider find a job in it difficult to the Mid-West find a job in the Mid-West Would they recommend relocating to the Mid- West? 72 Yes No 11 Yes 72 Unsure 17 72 No 11 Unsure 17No 11 17 Their level Unsure of satisfaction with their move to the Mid-West 9393 93 are either satisfied or very satisfied with their are either satisfied or very satisfied with their move to the Mid-West are either satisfied or move tovery the Mid-West satisfied with their move to the Mid-West 5757 57 89 8989 VERY SATISFIED VERY SATISFIED VERY SATISFIED 11 11 11 MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE 12 Collins McNicholas 3636 36 SATISFIED SATISFIED SATISFIED 7 7 7 NEITHER SATISFIED NEITHER SATISFIED NOR DISSATISFIED NOR DISSATISFIED NEITHER SATISFIED NOR DISSATISFIED

CJ Stander Munster Rugby Player When I arrived here almost five years ago, the biggest thing I felt was that Limerick city is full of people who look after their own. They pulled me in from the beginning, and looked after me and my family. They made us part of the city. I recently bought a house in Castleconnell with my wife Jean-Marie. I like a bit of quietness and a bit of the country. It is 10 minutes from training and 15 minutes from town. It is nice and quiet out there. It s a bungalow, so it s good for the knees I don t like a lot of stairs. I have got a nice big garden, and hopefully I can have some of my own chickens at some stage. Limerick is a special city, and everyone looks after their own, and it s a great town for me to, hopefully, one day raise a family. www.jdkdesign.ie Mid-West Relocation Survey 2017 13

Contact Collins McNicholas Roselawn House, National Technology Park, Limerick Phone: 061 512270 Email: limerick@collinsmcnicholas.ie www.collinsmcnicholas.ie