Brightwater’s Cork Office

Tom Wilkinson, Commercial Director with Brightwater Recruitment discusses Brightwater's Cork division.

What areas of recruitment does Brightwater’s Cork office specialise in?

Brightwater’s Cork office recruits across a number of different disciplines including:

• Accountancy & Finance
• IT
• HR
• Business Support
• Legal
• Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical
• Engineering & Manufacturing
• Sales
• Marketing

Introducing Tom Wilkinson, Commercial Director

Tom specialises in recruitment of accountancy & finance professionals. He has over 2 decades of experience in accountancy & finance recruitment, recruiting for assignments on a permanent, temporary & contract basis.  He currently focuses on permanent roles for qualified accountants

Jobs Market in Cork

There are over 160 FDI companies in the Cork region, mainly in the IT, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical and Food Manufacturing sectors.

Cork was a well-established base for pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson but in the last 10-15 years, has developed into a tech hub as well. Companies such as Amazon, Apple and Dell all have large operations in the region but indigenous Irish companies such as Wisetek and TeamWork have all helped establish Cork as a thriving centre for job opportunities.

Are salaries lower in Cork?

Salaries are different in regional areas of Ireland compared to Dublin. Cork is very near Dublin in terms of rates but there are still differences. However, this is mitigated by various factors such as the pace of life in the regions and a better work-life balance so for most people, a slightly lower salary would be a good trade-off.

What advice would you give to someone considering relocating to Cork?

The Cork jobs market is predominantly dominated by US multinationals and there are plenty of jobs available across all disciplines. I would advise anyone who is considering either relocating or returning to Cork or any of the regional areas to do their research first

• Look at the jobs available – talk to specialist recruiters and look at job sites
• Look at the level of jobs available – are there plenty of jobs for people of your experience or are you looking at niche roles
• Look at the sectors that are performing well – many skills are easily transferable so don’t be intimidated by having to change sectors to one where there are more jobs for someone of your skills and experience.
• Consider the salaries and weigh up against the reasons why you’re moving to that location eg. family, affordable property, shorter commute etc.

If you need career advice, help in preparing your cv or just a chat about what options are available to you across the Munster and Connacht regions don't hesitate to contact our Cork office on [email protected] or 021 4221000