€660
Average Daily Rate
Sector Overviews
Finance
“I’m viewed as bringing expertise and capacity that is not otherwise available to companies and individuals. I also provide a service, in such a way and cost, that is much better than hiring a third party company.”
Quote from Respondent
The financial services sector in Ireland is a powerhouse for growth. There are now more than 8,800 financial services companies operating throughout Ireland employing over 105,000 people. Global Reach Local Roots – IBEC. The Governments Financial Action Plan for 2024 focuses on Sustainable Finance. Climate Change and biodiversity loss is complex however the opportunity it presents for financial services will keep it top of the agenda for all sectors. gov – Ireland for Finance 2024 Action Plan (www.gov.ie)
70% of firms expect to see growth in their Irish operations in 2024 with increased investment in technology and innovation .FIBI Report 2024 – Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (bpfi.ie). Financial Services Ireland (FSI), have an objective that Ireland will be a top global financial centre by 2025.
Gender
The finance sector is made up of 76% males and 24% females. The gender spilt has changed since 2023 when 19% of finance contractors were female and 81% were male.
Age
In 2024, the average age of a contractor in the finance sector is 50 years, in 2021 the average age was 46 years. 31% are between 40 and 49 years with 54% 50 years or older. Just 3% are under 29 years of age. It’s clear that experience is valued in the finance sector.
Daily Rate
The average daily rate in the finance sector in 2024 is €660, an increase of 12% since 2021 and almost 16% higher than the average daily rate across all contracting sectors. 80% of contractors in the finance sector earn €500 or more, with 13% earning €1,000 or more per day.
50
Average Age
80%
Earn More Than €500 Daily
12
Months
Average Contract Length
Contract Length
The average contract length is 12 months. 44% of contracts are between 7-12 months. There has been a slight increase in the number of shorter contracts, 36% of contracts are now 6 months or less. There has also been a reduction in the number of contracts 13 months or more from 27% in 2023 to 20% in 2024.
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| Avg. Contract Length | 12 Months | 13 Months | 13 Months | 13 Months |
Employability
84% of finance contractors agree that their experience is in demand on the labour market. However, only 47% agree that it will be easy to find another contract role, this is a significant drop since 2021 when 65% of finance contractors felt it would be easy to find their next role.
How Finance Contractors Feel About Their Work
Finance contractors were asked about their satisfaction with 7 key areas of their working lives. Finance contractors remain satisfied about their working lives, they are most satisfied with the work itself (77%), location of the job (74%), flexibility of hours (75%), the rate of pay (68%), current life in general (66%) remote working options (76%), and work life balance (64%). The lowest satisfaction score was work life balance this factor also received the lowest satisfaction rating from finance contractors in 2023 (75%).
Future Expectations
Finance contractors have a positive attitude towards the contracting sector with 57% of participants stating they think the sector will increase in the next 3-5 years. 44% of respondents believe that the Irish economy will perform better in 2024 compared to 2023. 12% of contractors believe the contracting sector will decrease in the next 3-5 years, while 23% of finance contractors expect the Irish economy to preform worse this year than last.
Confidence Index
Those working in the finance sector are optimistic about both the contracting sector and the Irish economy. In 2024, the confidence index score in relation to the performance of the contracting sector in the next 3-5 years is +24. The confidence index score in relation to the performance of the Irish economy in 2024 is +10.
The Irish Economy
Confidence Index
| Finance | |
| 2024 | +10 |
| 2023 | +6 |
| 2022 | +40 |
| 2021 | +7 |
The Contracting Sector
Confidence Index
| Finance | |
| 2024 | +24 |
| 2023 | +34 |
| 2022 | +40 |
| 2021 | +37 |