Gairmeacha Ceardaíochta Eile

Around 5.4% of those in the national workforce are employed in non construction related craft occupations, such as electrical & electronic trades (32%), metal machining, fitting and instrument making trades (24%) and vehicle trades (15%), these three comprising 70% of the overall employment in the sector.

Employment levels have been relatively stable overall, with the clearest change being an increase of 8.8% in metal forming, welding & related trades between 2011 and 2016.

Figure 1: Data from National Skills Bulletin, 2017. SOLAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit

A number of shortages have been identified in the area, particularly electricians, welders, tool makers/fitters and butchers/de-boners. A number of apprenticeships are currently active or are in development that offer practical on the job training in some of the areas where skills are in high demand, including for butchers/de-boners and for tool makers/fitters. Further information about apprenticeships can be found here

One issue reported is that many people with experience in manufacturing crafts do not have skills relevant to the areas in which there is high demand, which are primarily in high technology automated manufacturing, such as high-tech manufacturing and medical technology.

Following from the National Skills Bulletin, 2017
Key points for selected other craft occupations

• In 2016, approximately 110,000 persons were employed in other craft occupations, representing 5.4% of the national workforce
• Approximately 75% of overall employment was concentrated in three sectors: manufacturing (36%), wholesale and retail (20%) and construction (18%)
• Just over 70% of overall employment was concentrated in three trades: electrical & electronic (32%), metal machining, fitting and instrument making (24%) and vehicle (15%)
• In 2016, overall employment levels were similar to those observed in 2011 (average annual growth was only 0.2%), and 3.9% (or 4,500) lower than the 2015 level
• Between 2011 and 2016, however, the change in employment varied by occupation, with the strongest growth observed for metal forming, welding & related trades (8.8% on average annually), metal machining, fitting & instrument making trades (3.9% on average annually); the latter group of trades recorded the largest increase in the numbers employed (4,500); in contrast, the strongest rate of decline was observed for butchers, fishmongers & related trades (5% on average annually); employment levels of other skilled and printing trades was virtually static
• Between 2015 and 2016, employment levels for most occupations did not change significantly, with the most pronounced change observed for metal machining, fitting & instrument making trades (decline of 2,600), and vehicle trades (decline of 2,000)
• Approximately 75% of all persons employed in the selected occupations was aged 25-54; approximately one fifth of employed butchers, fishmongers & related trades and other skilled trades workers was aged 55 or older
• Almost 60% of all persons employed in the selected occupations had attained higher secondary/FET qualifications, considerably above the national average of 38%; in contrast, the share with third level qualifications (25%) was well below the national average of 47%; however, the share with third level qualifications varied by occupation: just over one third of metal machining, fitting & instrument making trades workers had attained this level of education; in contrast, the corresponding share was only 9% for butchers, fishmongers & related trades
• Approximately 40% of all employed butchers, fishmongers & related trades were non-Irish nationals, three times above the national average, and one of the highest shares among occupations in the national workforce
• Employment in most occupations was predominantly male; the workforce of other skilled trades had the highest female representation (at 39%).

Shortage Indicators

Electricians: Employment of those in electrical/electronic trades is concentrated in construction (41%), industry (19%) and the ICT sector (14%). The volume of vacancy notifications has been increasing in recent years, although overall employment levels have remained static. Replacement demand for this occupation is far higher than average, although this may be due to coding issues relating to IT user support technicians/IT engineers. In 2016, 31 employment permits were issued, primarily for field service engineers entering on intra-company transfers.

In terms of supply, the number of electrical apprentices registering annually has been growing steadily since 2011. In addition, almost 1,500 job ready electricians were available in April 2017 (albeit a significant portion of these job seekers held at most Junior Certificate qualifications). Despite this supply, demand for electricians is expected to increase, with DKM indicating a further 5,500 electricians will be required by 2020; as such, it may become increasing difficult for employers to source suitably qualified electricians. Indeed, employers are already reporting difficulties in sourcing electricians with specific skills in areas such as computer based industrial control systems, indicating that shortages may begin to emerge for this occupation in the short-medium term.

Welders: while this occupation experienced employment growth in recent years, a high volume of movement between employers (over 1,600 identified in 2016) is also a contributing factor to the increased number of vacancy notifications for this occupations; vacancies for welders were primarily for those with TIG/MIG, ARC, butt/electric fusion skills; on the supply side, 160 FET minor awards were made in 2016 in manual arc and oxyacetylene welding; there were also 1,000 job ready job seekers previously employed as welders in April 2017, although over half held a Junior Certificate qualification or less; nonetheless, a shortage of TIG/MIG welders continues to persist, with demand expected to remain strong particularly due to the growth in the construction and metal fabrication/machining (e.g. high tech manufacturing) industries.

Tool makers/fitters: the strong performance of the high tech manufacturing sector is driving the demand for tool making skills; in response to the growing demand, a number of new courses and modules have been introduced in recent years, including two new manufacturing apprenticeships (at NFQ levels 6 and 7) have commenced, led by the Irish Medical Devices Association (IMDA), with an anticipated 100 annual enrolments; this is in addition to the 38 awards made through FET courses in 2016 (an increase from 10 in 2013) and an increase in apprentice intake on the tool making apprenticeship; nonetheless, shortages of tradespersons with expertise in making highly complex precision tools are expected to persist in the short run.

Butchers/de-boners: despite a fall in the overall number of butchers/de-boners employed, a high demand exists driven by the strong performance of the meat processing industry; over two fifths of those employed as butchers/deboners were non-Irish nationals in 2016, with 160 new employment permits issued; an NFQ level 5 apprenticeship in butchery is under development in order to meet demand for this occupation; however, the problem with attracting and retaining skilled butchers/de-boners following completion of their training is expected to remain a challenge for the meat industry in Ireland, with the issue likely to be exacerbated by the greater availability of job opportunities across other growing sectors of the economy.