Exclusive Research Report · 2026 Edition
State of Hiring &
Recruitment in Ireland
2026
A comprehensive look at 100+ data points covering employment trends, salary benchmarks, skills shortages, AI in hiring, and the evolving candidate landscape across the Republic of Ireland.
🇮🇪 Key Labour Market Indicators
2.83M
People in Employment (Q4 2025)
Record high for Ireland
5.0%
Unemployment Rate (Dec 2025)
vs EU avg 6.4%
+56.7K
New Jobs Added (2025)
+2.0% YoY
66.5%
Labour Force Participation Rate
Q3 2025 (CSO)
74.7%
Employment Rate (Ages 15–64)
Q3 2025
86.5M
Total Hours Worked/Week (Q3 2025)
+0.6% YoY
31,500
Job Vacancies (Sep 2025)
Source: Eurostat
+7%
Job Postings Above Pre-Pandemic
Jan 2026 (Indeed)
📊 Employer Hiring Intentions 2026
24%
Employers expect to increase hiring in 2026
27%
Large enterprises planning hiring increase
89%
Employers plan to hire in next 12 months (Hays)
33%
Businesses increased recruitment in last 6 months
21%
SMEs expecting increase in new hiring
21%
Employers increasing specialist role hiring
19%
Investing in temp & contract recruitment
⚠️ Recruitment Challenges
⏱ Median time-to-hire in Ireland is 10 weeks — a persistent bottleneck for employers competing for scarce specialist talent.
54%
Civil engineering roles open 60+ days
48%
Electrical engineering roles hardest to fill
96%
Irish employers reported skills shortages in 2025
💶 Salary Benchmarks & Pay Trends
€54,928
National Median Advertised Salary (2025)
Full-time employees
€80,000
Median Salary: Tech & Finance
Highest-paid sectors
€1,026
Avg Weekly Earnings Q1 2025
+5.6% YoY (CSO)
4.1%
Posted Wage Growth YoY (Dec 2025)
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab
€14.15
National Minimum Wage/hr (Jan 2026)
Up from €13.50 in 2025
3.31%
Avg Private Sector Pay Increase (2025)
Down from 4.24% in 2024
2.96%
Projected Pay Increase (2026)
CIPD-IRN Survey
6.1%
Life Sciences Salary Growth (2025)
Highest sector increase (Hays)
58%
Professionals received a pay increase in 2025
83%
Employers raised salaries in past year (Hays)
44%
Employees unhappy with their salary (2026)
Up from 34% prior year
7%
Gender Pay Gap in Ireland (2025)
Largely unchanged in recent years
👥 Candidate Landscape & Motivations
51%
Cite salary as #1 factor when changing jobs
31%
Prioritise work-life balance
29%
Seek job security in a new role
21%
Actively job searching (Sep 2025)
30%
Plan to look for a new job in 2026
41%
Plan to earn more or ask for a pay rise
38%
Irish workers changed roles in 2025
Up from 23% prior year
76%
Workers say salary is most important factor overall
🏠 Remote & Flexible Working
987K
Working from home ≥some time (Q3 2025)
558K
Usually WFH (>half the time), Q3 2025
#2
Ireland rank in Europe for hybrid job postings
📍 Remote postings share climbed to a post-pandemic high by end-2025 in Ireland — the highest since COVID-era peaks, bucking global return-to-office trends.
🤖 AI & Technology in Recruitment
47%
Using AI to draft job adverts
44%
Using AI for recruitment analytics
43%
Using AI for applicant database management
35%
Using AI to schedule interviews
64%
Candidates say AI makes process more efficient
11%
All Irish job postings reference AI (Nov 2025)
High by international standards
27%
Growth in AI tool adoption (past year)
Microsoft Work Trend Index 2025
73%
Employers say AI integration is a priority for 2026
CIPD Survey
🎯 In-Demand Skills & Sectors
- 1Software Development & EngineeringCritical
- 2Cybersecurity18+ month vacancies
- 3AI & Machine LearningFastest growing
- 4Data AnalyticsHigh demand
- 5Healthcare & Nursing7,500 HSE vacancies
- 6Cloud Computing & DevOpsAccelerating
- 7Pharmaceutical / Life SciencesGlobal impact
- 8Construction Trades50,000 needed by 2030
- 9Financial Services & FinTechPremium pay
- 10Project ManagementRising demand
300K+
People employed by 1,700+ FDI companies
76%
Irish employers struggling to fill roles (Manpower)
34%
Most hiring: Tech & IT departments
30%
Operations the 2nd most-hired department
🌍 International Recruitment & Employment Permits
39,390
Employment Permits Issued (2024)
+27% vs 2023
31,044
Permits Issued in 2025
-21% vs 2024
12,501
Health & Social Work Permits (2024)
32% of all permits
6,788
ICT Sector Permits (2024)
#2 sector
65,000
Total Active Employment Permit Holders
13,566
Indian Nationals (Top Nationality 2024)
7,900+
Health Sector Permits (2025)
Including nurses & HCAs
300K
New Jobs Target by 2030 (Programme for Govt)
📈 Additional Hiring & Labour Trends
3%
Projected GDP Growth for Ireland (2026)
Central Bank of Ireland
1.2%
Long-Term Unemployment Rate (Q4 2025)
36,200 people
+18.4%
Construction Employment Growth (Q2 2025)
Largest sector gain
-7.0%
ICT Employment Drop (Q4 2025)
-12,700 people
85.3%
Employment Rate: Ages 45–54 (Q4 2025)
Highest age bracket
25.5%
Employment Rate: Ages 15–19
Lowest bracket
78.5%
Male Employment Rate (15–64), Q3 2025
70.9%
Female Employment Rate (15–64), Q3 2025
59%
Private sector employers plan to raise pay (2026)
92%
Would apply more if salary listed upfront
80%
Professionals believe orgs should be transparent on pay
6%
Full AI embedding in Irish organisations
Significant execution gap exists