Only one in four Irish professionals say their parents understand their job title with many parents around Ireland struggling to understand the work carried out by data scientists, subeditors and social media managers.

According to LinkedIn, which on Thursday celebrated its second annual Bring in your Parents Day, only 24 per cent of Irish employees believe their parents have a clear understanding of what they do for a living. The Opinum survey, conducted on behalf of LinkedIn with 1,005 adults including 685 workers and 642 parents, reveals that only 44 per cent of Irish professionals believe their parents know their job title while 40 per cent says their parents are not well-informed about their employer.

The research also found parents lack confidence when describing the roles of UI Designer (User Interface designer), data scientists and subeditors. Those surveyed were also confused by the roles of social media managers, radio producers and actuaries. However, nearly four out of five parents surveyed could confidently describe what a teacher does. They were also able to describe the work carried out by a farmer and a personal assistant.

Wendy Murphy from LinkedIn says the company’s bring your parents to work day, which piloted at the LinkedIn offices in Dublin in 2013, gives parents a chance to really understand their child’s professional life and in turn share the knowledge they’ve developed from their own careers.

“It’s also an opportunity for us to acknowledge all the hard work and sacrifices that our parents made to help us on our career paths,” said Ms Murphy.