Ireland's Project Economy 2025
Sector Overviews

Finance

“Sales/ Business Development jobs in my field tend to be clustered around major financial centres (NYC, London, Dublin, etc.) so my current role allows me to live away from those centres but still participate in the industry in a very active manner suited to my particular strengths.”
Quote from Respondent

The finance sector plays a critical role in the Irish economy, contributing significantly to GDP and employment.

Ireland is now home to over 430 internationally focused financial services companies, collectively employing more than 50,000 people. Among these are 17 of the top 20 global banks and 11 of the world’s 15 largest insurance companies. Demand for contractors in the finance sector is growing rapidly, particularly in specialised areas such as fintech, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance (IDA Ireland).

As the industry evolves, the integration of AI into routine tasks has heightened the need for advisory and strategic professionals, driving salaries higher in these roles. Overall, salaries in the finance sector remained stable through 2024, but high-demand roles experienced pay increases of 10–11%. For example, compliance officers saw salary growth of 7–13% due to increased demand. According to Matrix Recruitment, professionals in areas like tax, data analytics, and consultancy are in particularly short supply heading into 2025.

Noise

A report from EY forecasts that employment in financial services could grow by 34% by 2028, potentially increasing the workforce to 168,000. Similarly, the Federation of International Banks in Ireland (FIBI) reports a positive outlook, with over 40% of its member firms expecting to expand their workforce in 2024. Additionally, the Irish government has prioritised the finance sector’s growth through initiatives such as the Investment Limited Partnerships Act, part of the “Ireland for Finance” strategy first launched in 2019.

The latest iteration of this strategy, published in October 2022, aims to add 5,000 jobs in the sector by 2026, focusing on sustainable finance, fintech, and digital financial services. While the sector’s growth prospects are overwhelmingly positive, it is not without challenges. The industry remains vulnerable to global economic shocks, financial crises, and regulatory changes, which can affect its stability and growth.

Finance Contractors Earn Almost 26% More Per Day Than Other Sectors!

What Finance Contractors Think About The Future

Finance contractors have a positive attitude towards the contracting sector with 87% of participants stating they think the sector will perform the same or increase in the next 3-5 years.

Finance Average Daily Rates

€695
10% of Finance Contractors Earn €1,000 or more per day.

Gender Split

76
Men
23
Women
1
Undisclosed
Men
Women
Undisclosed
0
20
40
60
80
100
Stats

Gender

The finance sector is made up of 76% males and 23% females. The gender split has remained unchanged since 2024.

Age

In 2025, the average age of a contractor in the finance sector is 49 years, a year younger than 2024. More than a third (37%) of all finance contractors are between 40 and 49 years.

Education

99% of finance sector respondents in 2025 hold at least a Level 6 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications. The percentage of those with bachelor’s degrees has risen to 39% (up from 32% in 2024), 30% hold master’s degrees (down from 34% in 2024). Meanwhile, the number of respondents with ‘other professional qualifications’ has declined from 18% in 2024 to 14% in 2025.

What Finance Contractors Are Earning

The average daily rate in the finance sector in 2025 is €695, almost 26% higher than the average daily rate across all contracting sectors, making contracting in the financial sector a very lucrative career. 80% of contractors in the finance sector earn €500 or more, with 10% earning €1,000 or more per day.

Sector

84% of finance contractors work in the private sector.

Contract Length

The average contract length is 14 months. 38% of contracts are between 7-12 months, which is down from 44% in 2024. 38% of contract are less than 6 months. 24% of contracts are 13 months or longer in 2025.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021
Months 14 12 13 13 13

How Finance Contractors Feel About Their Work

The majority (89%) of contractors are satisfied with the progress they have made in their career. Finance contractors were asked about their satisfaction with 7 key areas of their working lives. Finance contractors remain satisfied about their working lives, with 80% satisfied with their lives in general and with their work life balance. 90% are satisfied with remote working options, 86% are satisfied with the location of the job, 89% reported being satisfied with flexibility of hours. Satisfaction with the rate of pay is up 88% from 68% in 2024.

Employability

75% of finance contractors agree that their experience is in demand on the labour market which is down from 84% in 2024.

49% agree that it will be easy to find another contract role up from 47% in 2024.

Future Expectations

Finance contractors have a positive attitude towards the contracting sector with 87% of participants stating they think the sector will remain static or increase in the next 3-5 years. 43% of respondents believe that the Irish economy will perform better in 2025 compared to 2024. 13% of contractors believe the contracting sector will decrease in the next 3-5 years, while 13% of finance contractors also expect the Irish economy to perform worse this year than last.

Noise

Confidence Index

Those working in the finance sector are optimistic about both the contracting sector and the Irish economy. In 2025 the confidence index score in relation to the performance of the contracting sector in the next 3-5 years is +22. The confidence index score in relation to the performance of the Irish economy in 2025 is +16.

The Irish Economy

Confidence Index

Finance
2025 +16
2024 +10
2023 +6
2022 +40
2021 +7

 

The Contracting Sector

Confidence Index

Finance
2025 +22
2024 +24
2023 +34
2022 +40
2021 +37

 

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