Ireland has been ranked as the third best country to hire staff in Europe according to a new study.
The “Where to Hire Index” from The Conference Board found that Ireland’s globally oriented talent and flexible labour market attract major investment.
However the report warns that rising costs and infrastructure pressures in Ireland limit scalability.
Denmark has been ranked in first place, followed by Switzerland.
The index found that the top ranked countries face challenges, with competition from a rising cohort of Central and Eastern European reformers.
Europe’s largest economies, however, are failing to convert talent into jobs, according to the report.
The report authors warn that Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain all risk losing out in the race for jobs, as aging populations, slow digitalisation, and high costs cause major employers to consider more agile, innovative-driven alternatives.
“The index is an alarm call to European leaders about how political paralysis and poor regulation is upending Europe’s competitiveness,” said Jean-Marc Verbist, Human Capital Centre Leader Europe at The Conference Board.
“Europe’s largest labour markets are hitting a structural breaking point. They have the skills, but not the competitiveness to match them,” Mr Verbist said.
The study was conducted by The Conference Board, a non-partisan, not-for-profit think-tank.
The research is based on a comparative analysis across 31 countries of what C-Suite executives believe drives investment decisions.