Demand for skilled staff tells real story of tech, says Unum boss

Technology sector is strong; high-profile tech job losses were in business operations, not high-skilled roles 

Padraig O'Neill, managing director and VP of Unum Ireland, based in Carlow.

Demand for high-end tech skills is as strong as ever, says the head of an Irish-based leader in the delivery of digital services to the global insurance industry.

Padraig O'Neill, managing director and VP of Unum Ireland in Carlow, says that the vast majority of highly publicised global tech sector job losses were operational roles.

Mr O’Neill regularly engages in promoting the sector to students in schools and colleges, seeking to recruit quality participants for Unum’s vibrant intern programme. The company grew from 130 staff at the outset of Covid to 260 today. Unum is currently on a drive to recruit another 50 staff and it is investing more energy than ever into its interns.

Staff at the Unum Technology in Carlow, where the company is busily recruiting to fill full-time and intern roles.

“People attending technology courses are right to be confident about their future,” said Mr O’Neill. “They know that their future is perfectly safe. I’m regularly going to NUI Maynooth, Carlow IT and SETU [formerly WIT] to meet and recruit interns.

“It’s a constant race to find skilled people. Last year, we converted 80% of our interns into full-time roles. We’ve doubled in size since the start of the pandemic. We filled 80 full-time roles last year and we’ve another 30 interns starting in the next few weeks.” 

 Nonetheless, for parents of tech students and others looking on at tech job losses, the sector seems to be taking a battering globally.

However, the announcements of job losses at Amazon, Alphabet’s Google, Meta platforms and other tech giants have to be seen in the context of tech sector companies taking on huge numbers of staff during the pandemic.

In real terms, the tech job losses of recent months are a blip. For instance, Alphabet’s employee levels had grown steadily from around 16,000 in 2007 to 156,000 in 2021, adding 10k to 15k annually from 2017 onwards.

During 2022, Alphabet leapt from 156k to over 190k, up 34k employees. This year, it chose to shed 12,000 jobs. When you look at the numbers over two years, Alphabet is still up 22,000 staff.

Padraig O’Neill said: “We are very busy in the stable and growing fintech sector. Most of the broader tech sector’s high-profile job losses were in business operations. These companies are not letting people go from mid-office jobs. Those people are still very much in demand.” 

 That is certainly true of Unum Ireland. Steadily growing in its base at the Unum Technology Centre, Carlow, the company recently announced 50 new IT roles for 2023.

The new roles include software developers, business analysts, IT delivery managers and cybersecurity engineers. All of the jobs will roll out over the coming months.

Padraig O'Neill said: “Unum’s projects are set for 2023 and beyond and we are now recruiting a range of tech roles. Whilst there has been some instability in the tech jobs market, Unum offers security in the stable and growing fintech sector.

“We can offer exceptional development and progression with flexible working arrangements, including hybrid, and initiatives to support our team’s well-being. Opportunities are available for both graduates and senior IT professionals at the state-of-the-art campus, just one hour from Dublin city.” 

 Unum is a specialist income protection and insurance provider, protecting over 41 million people across businesses in Europe and the US. Much of its work is in digital transformation services, notably for US companies.

“In the past six or seven years, we have gone from being an insurance company with an element of tech services into a company whose primary focus is now on delivering tech services, including digital transformation services, to the world’s leading insurance companies,” said Mr O’Neill.

“Covid may have accelerated that shift a little, but that was how we were evolving in any case.” Unum prides itself on helping its staff develop their careers. Unum was recently recertified as a Great Place to Work, its second year earning the award.

Edel Spillane, HR director at Unum, Carlow.

Edel Spillane, HR director at Unum, added: “People want to know they are recognised for their contribution to the workplace. They want strong leadership and the opportunity to develop their skills with further education and career progression.

“Yes, they want to be well-compensated, but beyond that, people value working in an environment where they can thrive. This is where Unum excels.” 

 The Great Place to Work credit is awarded based on an employee survey, which found that 94% agree that Unum is a ‘great place to work’. The company scored 97% in diversity and inclusion, 96% in employee empowerment, with similarly high scores for its working environment, its commitment to rewarding excellent performance.

For details on the roles available at Unum Technology Centre in Carlow, visit www.unumjobs.ie.