Irish finance professionals believe in foreign work experience

According to a report released on 10 February, Irish workers see having experience from working abroad as increasingly important. From financial professionals, 61% of the respondents believe foreign work experience will become more important because of continuing globalization.

About two-thirds of respondents say they would explore global transfer options within their own company first before considering work abroad.

One in five Irish based firms say more than half of the job applications they receive are from overseas candidates.

Ken Harbourne, Branch Manager of Robert Half Finance and Accounting in Dublin, said the global nature of the financial services sector means more and more finance and accounting professionals will consider working abroad in order to gain experience and fast track career progression.

"What is particularly interesting to see is that the majority of respondents prefer to explore opportunities to work abroad within their current place of work before considering external options. Consequently, more and more companies are looking to offer global transfer opportunities as a way to develop and retain staff."

The Winter 2006 International Workplace Survey was conducted with over 2,300 Human Resource and finance managers across 13 countries and provides an insight into international workplace trends.

Irish finance workers are more convinced than any other nationality that foreign experience will be a useful asset in the future, according to the survey. Still, when looking to go abroad, 68% of respondents say they would rather explore a global transfer option within their current company before seeking out other opportunities.

Similarly, 40% of Irish financial professionals say their Human Resource department is the preferred reference point for information on working abroad.

The survey also showed that Irish companies continue to attract interest from overseas workers. From the Irish respondents 18% say that over half of the job applications they receive are from overseas candidates - 10% above the global average.

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