An increasing demand for engineers in a recovering Irish economy – coupled with a lack of available supply at home – is encouraging one Irish company to spearhead a recruitment drive Down Under. According to a report in The Irish Times, Ethos Engineering – which specialises in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering – has placed an advertisement in the Irish-Australian newspaper, the Irish Echo, looking to hire a minimum of 10 qualified and experienced engineers. The firm - which has been involved in an extensive number of projects including Beacon Hospital; Gorey Shopping Centre; James Joyce Library; Wheatfield Prison and IBM Data Centre among others -  had previously attempted to recruit at home but had trouble finding a ready supply of candidates. Ethos Engineering – based in Sandyford Industrial Estate, Co Dublin, and which has a little more than 50 staff – had utilised the services of a number of employment agencies, but to no avail. Ethos's James Gillic, chartered engineer, said: “There is a definite upturn in the construction industry at the moment. Design engineers tend to see the upturn about 12 months before actual construction begins on site, so we are experiencing a shortage of staff a year prior to building and engineering firms. “We are seeing a huge increase in data centre projects for blue-chip companies and market leaders in the data sector. Developers are also returning to the market, especially for high-spec office fit-outs.” The firm said that a number of staff members had left for Australia shortly after the 2008 crash, and Gillic confirmed that those engineers with at least five years of engineering experience were especially in high demand:  “We are trying to target people who are now in their late 20s and early 30s, who are maybe thinking of getting married or starting a family, and want to come home.” The firm has already hired a number of candidates from Down Under who have gained “excellent experience” during their stay there. Demand for graduates at entry level is also strong, due to decreasing numbers of the country’s students studying for an engineering degree in the recent past.