I spent 10 years driving from south Dublin into the city centre. A commute which took me almost an hour. I spent 10 hours a week commuting. It was soul-destroying.”

For those stuck in traffic in cities and large towns, this story sounds all too familiar. The stresses and strains are more than real. Living in rural Ireland, the professional employment opportunities available in our cities have been few and far between until now.

An idea bred out of such frustration and a gap in the market enabled Wicklow woman Vanessa Tierney to develop an idea that would not just allow employees to kick the commute, but could potentially revolutionise the way rural Ireland operates from a careers point of view.

The initiative is called Abodoo. ‘Abo’- as in ‘abode’ or home. ‘Doo- as in ‘do’, work. Without over-elaborating, the service is a platform that intuitively connects employers to people who wish to work from their home, from a local hub, or a hybrid of both.

Launched in September 2017, Tierney describes the service as a “Tinder for rural careers”.

When you think about it, it sort of is. You register with the platform, input your details and what you are looking for, enabling the algorithms to best match that person to a professional career. So instead of matching with a potential partner, you’re matched with a job. A valid comparison I think, it is fair to say.

The Rural Angle

What is exciting about a project like this is its potential impact on rural communities. Whether it is those farming, raising children or just wishing to work in rural Ireland, the idea of working remotely either from the homestead or a local hub is highly appealing.

What is even more appealing is the passion its founder has for rural Ireland itself.

“Rural Ireland has lost thousands of young people, many of whom would love to live there but can’t because the work simply isn’t there. There are people from right across Ireland currently living and working abroad who would like to return if they could secure

a role in rural Ireland, back in their communities where housing is affordable,” Tierney explains, highlighting the desire for young people to return to a professional career in rural areas.

“There are farmers who would love to work 9-4 from home in a job that would facilitate them running a farm and that does not involve a commute. Mothers and fathers with young kids who would want to continue pursuing their career, again without the need to commute. So many people in rural communities can benefit from working remotely.

“We have to remember there are still high unemployment rates in rural Ireland. For example, 16% of the working population in Cavan is unemployed, 19% of Longford, over 14% of Mayo, 15% of Wexford,” she continues.

While Tierney launched the platform (not to be confused with an agency) with her co-founder Ben Wainwright about six months ago, it had its beginning over the last number of years. The now 37-year-old Leinster woman cut her teeth at UCD, studying commerce, before starting her own recruitment firm which she ran for 15 years. It is through this and her dealings with the IDA, that she noticed a gap in the market for remote workers.

“It was obvious that employees were working remotely, but there was no available platform making the connection between both employee and employer. I remember thinking if a commercial entity was to capture the skills of rural Ireland, could this be something that could be supported? The IDA believed so and it went from there.”

The rollout of broadband has meant the demand for such a service grew. A one-year tech development and the signing of Sue Marshall as CEO (Marshall worked with Denis O’Brien in China, launching a career site), meant the platform kicked off in earnest last September. As of February 2018, 3,500 people have registered. The demand is there.

Surprising Salaries

One very interesting aspect of the service is the average salary those registered with Abodoo are on. Those on the platform are commanding an average wage of €40,000 to €60,000 a year. The idea of pursuing a professional career on a competitive wage remotely from home, or from a rural hub, is a refreshing idea that could inject life into rural Ireland.

Skills Acquisition Project

Abodoo has just completed a pilot in north Wexford on behalf of the County Council and Enterprise Ireland to capture the skills of the commuters unemployed in the area around Gorey.

“Our platform is designed to capture a lot of great data that can be reproduced in infographics that clearly demonstrate the amazing skills that are available across the country. With this information the relevant government bodies, including the IDA, will be able to show employers that the talent does exist outside of the cities and they should consider investing and employing people in a smart working model. This ties in very well with the Project Ireland 2040 Government regional development plan. The intention is to repeat this project county to county subject to local support.”

Rural Ireland is a great place to work and live when the jobs are there to facilitate this. Abodoo is aiming to bridge a gap that parts of rural Ireland are desperately crying out for. CL

Fact box

  • • Company name: Abodoo.
  • • Base: Gorey, Wexford.
  • • Started: September 2017.
  • • From: Wicklow.
  • • Founder: Vanessa Tierney, 37, from Wicklow. Studied commerce at UCD.