New data from hiring platform Indeed reveals that hospitality, visa sponsorship and roles that offer flexibility are dominating the job searches, seeing the most growth in Ireland this year. These findings come as Indeed hosts its annual FutureWorks event in Dublin last week, where hiring professionals will hear from guest speaker Bob Geldof on how leadership and teamwork can change the world, as well as getting a preview of Indeed's new suite of AI-powered tools.

Hospitality and service jobs feature prominently among the top growing searches. "Barista" takes the number one spot on the list, reflecting the ongoing growth of coffee culture in Ireland, while "hotel" ranked third, and searches for "receptionist" and "kitchen porter" also made the top ten. This comes as a VAT reduction for the sector was announced in the most recent Budget, which may support further hiring expansion across hotels, cafés, and restaurants.

Meanwhile, searches for "Ireland visa sponsorship" ranked second, highlighting the country's strong appeal to international talent, particularly amidst visa rules tightening in some other countries. Almost 14% of searches on Indeed's Irish site now come from abroad, while 42% of workers in Ireland have foreign work experience (reflecting both the inflow of international workers and the experience gained abroad by Irish jobseekers). Employment permits issued reached record highs in 2024, underlining the openness from employers to sponsoring overseas candidates.

Flexibility continues to be a defining feature of Ireland's job market, with searches for "remote" and "work from home" roles also featuring on the list. Indeed data shows that almost 1 in 5 (17%) job postings in Ireland now mention remote or hybrid options, sustaining the post-pandemic shift toward flexible working. Likewise, interest in part-time opportunities remains high, with roles like these being of particular interest to students, parents and caregivers seeking roles that can fit around their lifestyle and other commitments.

Yet even with these emerging trends, the most common overall search on Indeed remains a "blank" query, where job seekers enter a location but leave the job title empty. This signals both career uncertainty and openness among job seekers exploring new directions, a gap that Indeed aims to address through its latest product innovations.

Conor McCarthy, Vice President at Indeed, commented: "This year's top growing searches show us what jobseekers value most: opportunity, flexibility and mobility. The rise in hospitality and visa sponsorship searches reflects both a resilient domestic sector and strong global interest in Ireland's labour market. Meanwhile, demand for remote and work-from-home roles indicates a flexible work trend that's here to stay."

"The prevalence of blank searches tells us many people are open to change but unsure where to start. With this new suite of products, we're aiming to help job seekers explore their options confidently and to help employers connect with the right talent quickly."

The top growing job search terms on Indeed in Ireland for 2025:

1. Barista

2. Ireland visa sponsorship

3. Hotel

4. Receptionist

5. Part-time no experience

6. Kitchen porter

7. Marketing

8. Electrician

9. Cleaner

10. Sales assistant

11. Warehouse operative

12. Cleaning

13. Childcare

14. Security

15. Remote

16. Healthcare assistant

17. Administration

18. Part time

19. Warehouse

20. Retail

21. No experience necessary

22. Chef

23. General operative

24. Driver

25. Work from home