More than 1 in 3 Professionals Strengthening AI Skills

New data revealing that 35% of professionals have taken steps to enhance their AI skills this year amid the accelerating AI workplace transformation.

The research, conducted by IrishJobs, gathered insights from over 500 employers and nearly 1,000 professionals in Ireland on the evolving hiring landscape and shifting attitudes and actions across the market.

Strengthening AI Skills

This push to upskill in AI is being driven by a growing adoption of AI tools and technology in the workplace with 41% of professionals saying they are concerned that their role could be impacted by AI.

However, despite concerns around automation, 86% of professionals are confident their skills will stay relevant over the next three years, indicating that any potential impact of AI on the jobs market is expected to take place over the long-term.

AI & Recruitment

Increased automation in the recruitment process may be affecting the candidate experience and engagement, according to the survey findings. 73% of job candidates report that it is more difficult to reach the interview stage of the hiring process, while 65% report that they do not hear back from recruiters beyond an autoreply.

78% of candidates also say that job adverts require more skills than ever before. On the other hand, skills matching remains the top hiring challenge for employers, reflecting a growing disconnect between employers and candidates on the expectations around roles.

Jobseeker activity

Findings show that 4 in 5 (81%)  professionals are open to a new job offers – the highest level captured by IrishJobs data. Of these, 17% of candidates are actively looking for new opportunities, a slight drop of 4% since Autumn 2025.

While the share of active jobseekers has dipped, the proportion of passive job candidates who would move for the right offer continues to grow, rising by 7% over the past six months. For employers, a focus on employer branding and their employment offering are key to engaging passive, ‘open-minded’ candidates.

Candidate expectations

Salary remains the top factor for candidates considering new opportunities. With inflation and cost of living pressures rising, there has been a 7% increase in the proportion of candidates ranking salary as the most decisive factor in choosing a job. This is followed by work-life balance, flexible working, and job security.

Amid increased economic uncertainty, more than 3 in 4 (77%) of candidates now say that job security is more important than career progression when considering potential opportunities.

23% of employers are struggling to meet jobseeker’s rising salary expectations, which is now one of the biggest hiring challenges for recruiters.

Commenting on the findings, Christopher Paye, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs, said, “Across Ireland, the hiring landscape is evolving at pace, shaped by a combination of economic and geopolitical volatility, accelerating technological change and shifting workforce expectations. Despite considerable uncertainty, the Irish economy continues to demonstrate its resilience and remains close to full capacity.

Against this backdrop, it’s clear from our findings that professionals are becoming more strategic in how they navigate the jobs market and balancing a desire for stability alongside responding to heightened inflationary pressures. While more candidates than ever are open to new opportunities, there is a growing sense of uncertainty around the impact of AI and how this could affect future careers. Professionals in Ireland are responding to these changes by enhancing AI skills and putting an increased emphasis on the value of adaptability in the workplace. Employers too have a vital role to play in investing and skilling up their workforce to ensure their people can successfully adapt to these shifts.

The findings also spotlight a growing disconnect between employers and candidates across several key areas. Challenges around rising salary expectations, skills matching, and increasingly complex job requirements are contributing to friction in the hiring process. To stay competitive, employers need to sharpen their approach, setting clear and realistic expectations from the outset of the recruitment process, and leading with transparency on pay, flexibility and career development. Those who actively invest in skills and support employees through the significant change ahead will be best placed to attract and retain high-calibre talent.”

For further information on the findings, please visit: https://www.IrishJobs.ie/

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