The government is trying to tempt foreign tech workers here with the craic

A NEW CAMPAIGN to lure in-demand tech workers to Ireland will pitch the country as a lifestyle destination of “vibrant cities, coastline and culture”.

The promotion, called Tech Life Ireland, has been quietly unveiled by the country’s jobs and development agencies ahead of an official launch in a few weeks.

At a pricetag of up to €2 million over six years, the campaign will sell the country as a location where people can further their careers while also having ”the time and space for a great lifestyle”.

It also includes advice on aspects of living in Ireland, including details about the tax system, information about childcare in Ireland and tips for finding accommodation.

Unsurprisingly, the sections on accommodation don’t mention the housing crisis and spiralling rental costs nationwide. Nor does the somewhat inclement weather get a nod.

However the website does feature case studies of foreign workers in Ireland’s tech sector and their positive experiences in the country.

One celebrated example is that of Anatoly Lebedev, who was born in the Siberian part of the Soviet Union and after moving to Ireland set up his own IoT software platform called Cesanta.

The project was first flagged under the 2015 Action Plan for Jobs, which called for the creation of a website that could encourage international technical talent to come and fill the gaps in the Irish tech workforce.

A recent report from the skills and labour market research unit in Solas showed that there is a significant number of vacancies in the science, tech and IT sectors in Ireland, which have increasingly been filled with skilled foreign workers.

Despite accounting for a relatively small share of the Ireland’s total workforce, companies in the information and communications sector were easily the biggest recipients of employment permits for workers coming from outside Ireland or the EU.

Distribution of vacancies by sector in 2015

Tender details

The programme will cost between €200,000 and €400,000 in its first year, according to the tender issued by Enterprise Ireland. The agency is running the scheme in conjunction with the IDA and Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

If successful, however, the project could be renewed on an annual basis for as many as six years and a total cost of up to €2 million.

Enterprise Ireland will also retain all intellectual property created as part of the project and in the tender mentioned possibly using the Tech Life Ireland framework in future to address talent gaps in other areas of the Irish workforce.

A spokesman for Enterprise Ireland told Fora the aim of the project is to market Ireland as one of the best places to carve out a career in tech and it will be launched later this month.