Privacy specialists and tech roles were among the hardest jobs to fill during 2024

Data from jobs website Indeed also shows engineering jobs and roles for artists remained open for more than 60 days, its definition of hard-to-fill roles

Privacy analyst was the single most difficult job to fill in 2024, according to Indeed, with 54% of advertised roles remaining open for over 60 days. Picture: RollingNews.ie

Privacy analysts, artists, and specialised tech roles were among some of the hardest positions for companies to fill in 2024, new data from job advertising website Indeed has found.

For this data, Indeed examined job postings between January 1, 2024, and December 1, 2024, to determine which positions were most likely to remain open for more than 60 days, which is its definition for “hard-to-fill” roles.

Privacy analyst was the single most difficult job to fill in 2024, according to Indeed, with 54% of advertised roles remaining open for more than 60 days.

“This may be attributed to the highly complex and specialised nature of these roles, the advanced qualifications required, and the fast-developing nature of the field itself,” the company said.

In the top 20 of hardest positions to fill, roles for artists ranked in second place, with just over 51% open for more than 60 days.

Quite a number of tech positions also featured on the list, accounting for three of the top five. The data shows 50% of software test engineers roles, 49% of principal software engineer roles, and 47% of cloud engineer roles were open for 60 days or more.

Other disciplines within the sector to feature in the top 20 include back-end developers in 10th place, Java developers in 17th place and senior software engineers in 18th.

Engineering roles featured prominently in the top 20 list for the year, with 43% of process engineering roles and senior engineering roles remaining open after 60 days. It was also the case with 41% of senior electrical engineering roles which were advertised.

Indeed career expert Sarah Carroll said this data “highlights the key skill gaps in the current workforce”, showing where supply is not meeting demand.

“The findings may be particularly useful for those seeking a new year career change, as we know traditionally January is a busy time for career switchers,” she said.

Ms Carroll said the list also reflected the “pressing and persistent” need for increased housing and infrastructure, as “qualified engineers and construction workers remain in high demand year on year”.

Construction-related roles continued to feature in the top 20 of hardest-to-fill positions.

Building engineers ranked 10th, with 41% of positions open longer than a month, while welders sat at 16th and electrical technicians at 19th — both of which saw about 40% of positions open for 60 days or more.