The Irish job market hasn’t stalled – it’s sharpened. Here’s what the data shows, and what it means for your hiring strategy.
The Irish labour market is still moving, but the rules of engagement have changed. In our Spring/Summer 2026 Hiring Trends Update, we surveyed over 500 Irish employers and nearly 1,000 workers to understand what’s really happening beneath the headlines. What we found tells three connected stories: a reality check on the challenges both sides are facing, a great adaptation underway as employers and candidates adjust, and genuine green shoors of resilience that point to opportunity.
The bottom line? Hiring is still happening – but in a more focused and selective way. The organisations moving with clear priorities, strong processes, and a compelling offer will be best placed to compete.
Chapter 1: The Reality Check
A More Active Market, But a Tougher Path to Hire
Despite a cautious backdrop, hiring activity has actually increased. 39% of employers recruitment over the past six months, up from 33% in Autumn 2025. Hiring confidence has edged up too, rising from 6.8 to 7.0 out of 10.
But that doesn’t mean hiring has become easier. The median time to hire remains at 8 weeks, and the challenge has shifted from finding candidates to finding the right candidates at the right cost.
- Employers who increased hiring – 39% (up from 33% compared to Autumn 2025)
- Hiring confidence – 7.0/10 (up from 6.8 compared to Autumn 2025)
- Median time to hire – 8 weeks (down from 10 weeks)
- Top hiring priority – Recruiting specialist talent (workforce planning rises to #2)
Skills Fit and Salary: The Real Blockers
Applications are up, but volume is no longer the main issue. The real blockers are skills match (cited by 30% of employers as their top challenge) and salary expectations (23%, now the second-biggest hiring challenge, up from third position).
This shift tells us something important: the market isn’t short of interest – it’s short of the right match at the right level and cost.
What to do: Sharpen your role briefs. Be clear about what the role genuinely needs, not what would be ideal. Precision is becoming more valuable than reach.
Pay Transparency is Moving Up the Agenda
In a market where salary expectations are already rising, employers are also preparing for a more transparent pay environment. 44% already have defined salary bands in place, while 40% plan to introduce them. That means salary clarity and consistency are becoming more important at exactly the moment pay is already a key point of hiring friction.
Many employers see the upside: 38% expect pay transparency to improve attraction and retention, while 28% believe it will accelerate hiring efficiency and workforce planning.
What to do: Treat pay transparency as a strategic readiness issue, not just a compliance exercise. Employers that align salary clarity, hiring processes, and workforce planning early will be better placed to compete.
Cost Pressures are Reshaping Entry-Level Plans
The National Living Wage increase is having a real impact on headcount decisions:
- 51% of employers cut Q2/Q3 headcount plans due to the NLW increase
- 47% reduced entry-level roles specifically
Cost pressures isn’t stopping hiring altogether, but its influencing where employers can afford to invest.
Chapter 2: The Great Adaptation
How Organisations are Responding – and What TA Teams are Leading On
Organisations aren’t just filling roles – they’re rethinking how they hire. The top priorities for the next six months reveal a shift towards strategic capability-building:
- Recruiting specialist talent (28%)
- Improving workforce planning (25%)
- Expanding hiring technology or automation (23%)
- Refining role requirements (22%)
- Reviewing team structure or department (20%)
The rise of workforce planning to the number two spot signals that TA teams are thinking long-term, not just firefighting vacancies.
TA Is Stretched – And Stepping Up
Talent acquisition is taking on more strategic responsibility, a broader remit, and harder workloads. Pressure and influence are rising together:
- 83% say TA is more strategic than before
- 67% have broader HR/business responsibilities
- 64% say workload is harder to manage
Recruiters Are Adapting to AI – Even If They’re Anxious About It
There’s a tension in the data: 49% of recruiters worry about AI’s impact on their role, but 78% are already using automation and AI tools. 33% say AI is a key reason hiring feels easier.
Adaptation is underway, not deferred. Early capability will become a practical advantage.
What Workers Are Telling Us
On the candidate side, openness has never been higher. 81% of workers are open to a new offer – the highest we’ve ever recorded. But 88% are also satisfied with their current employer (down only slightly from 91%).
This tells us something important: workers aren’t running from bad jobs. They’re watching, and ready to move for the right thing. This isn’t a push market – it’s a pull market. The quality of your offer matters more than ever.
What Candidates Want Has Shifted
Three out of four key job-choice factors are up year on year:
- Salary: 51% -> 58%
- Work-life balance: 31% -> 41%
- Job security: 29% -> 38%
- Flexible working: 24% ->29%
77% of workers say job security now matters more than career progression
What to do: Make sure your job offers speak to all four areas. Salary alone won’t win candidates weighing up security, balance and flexibility.
The Search Experience is Congested
Candidates are working harder than even to land roles:
- 73% say job ads ask for more skills than before.
- 77% say job ads ask for more skills than before
- 65% don’t hear back beyond an auto-acknowledgement
What to do: Respond quickly and communicate clearly. A faster, clearer process is one of the most powerful – and lowest-cost – differentiators you have right now.
Chapter 3: Resilience
Where the Green Shoots Are – and Who’s Pulling Ahead
Despite the pressure, there are clear signs of resilience.
Some Sectors Are Moving With Real Confidence
IT & telecoms and manufacturing lead the pack on both hiring intent and confidence:
Even in a tougher market, Manufacturing reports confidence of 8/10 – the highest of any sector. The market is moving, just not evenly.
FOBO is Real – But It’s Driving Action, Not Paralysis
FOBO – the Fear of Becoming Obsolete – is a real concern for many workers. 41% worry their role could become obsolete. But the response isn’t paralysis:
- 86% are confident their skills will stay relevant for 3+ years
- 37% have already learned to use AI tools in the past year
- 85% would move into a different industry entirely if needed
The talent pool is wider and more adaptable than it looks. Career changers and adjacent-industry candidates are already preparing to make the leap.
Organisations on IrishJobs are Edging Ahead
Employers using IrishJobs are outperforming in a more selective market:
- 42% say hiring got easier (vs 20% of non-users)
- 7/10 confidence score (vs 6/10 among non-users)
- 53% plan to increase hiring (vs 24% non-users)
5 Actions You Can Take Now
- Sharpen your brief: Skills fit is #1 barrier. Be clear about what the role genuinely needs – not the nice-to-haves.
- Lead with stability: Salary, security, and flexibility are all rising. The strongest offers speak to all four factors.
- Fix your process: 2 in 3 candidates don’t hear back. Respond quickly – it’s a differentiator and cheap to fix.
- Cast the net wider: 85% would move industries if needed. Career changers and adjacent candidates are ready now.
- Act now, not later: Hiring is being reallocated, not lost. Build your pipeline now – the window may be shorter than you think.
The Expert View
“The clearest message from this edition is that the Irish labour market has not stalled, but it has sharpened. Hiring is still happening, but employers are operating under greater pressure due to international forces and with a tighter focus. The challenge is no longer simply attracting candidates, it is securing the right skills at the right cost and moving quickly enough to convert demand into hires.
What is encouraging is that employers are adapting to global volatility rather than retreating. Workforce planning is moving up the agenda, talent acquisition teams are taking on a more strategic role, and businesses are becoming more selective about where they invest. In that sense, resilience in this market is not about broad expansion – it’s about disciplined action in a more demanding environment.”
– Julius Probst, Senior Economist, The Stepstone Group
“We’re seeing rising FOBO in the Irish market, but we’re also seeing how resilient and resourceful workers are being in response. People are aware that AI is changing the world of work, but they are not responding with paralysis. They’re upskilling, staying open to new opportunities and, in many cases, widening the types of roles or industries they would consider. At the same time, candidates are facing a hiring process that can feel slow, congested and difficult to navigate. For employers, the opportunity is clear: the talent pool is broader and more adaptable than it looks, but success depends on matching that with a compelling offer and hiring experience that feels straightforward and respectful of candidates’ time.”
– Chris Paye, Country Director, The Stepstone Group, with responsibility for IrishJobs
The Bottom Line
The Irish job market is adapting, not retreating. Hiring is being reallocated, not lost. The employers who succeed in this environment will be those who move with clear priorities, strong processes, and an offer that speaks to what candidates actually want: salary, security, flexibility, and a hiring experience that respects their time.
The talent is out there. The question is whether your organisation is ready to compete for it.