Microsoft’s annual Work Trend Index report reveals almost half of Irish workers say they are considering new career paths

Microsoft Ireland‘s 2026 Work Trend Index reveals a workforce increasingly focused on future-ready skills, career paths, and what it expects from employers, as AI reshapes how work gets done. The nationally representative survey of 1,000 workers in the Republic of Ireland captured a broad cross-section of the workforce, including casual and part-time workers, frontline employees and knowledge workers. It found that 75% believe people with broad skills will become more valuable in the future and 65% expect there to be less emphasis on fixed roles and greater demand for flexible skills.

Almost half of workers (48%) changed employer in the last year, up from 38% in 2025 and 19% in 2023. Separately, 47% say AI is making them reconsider their career path, up from 34% last year. Together, the findings show considerable movement and reflection across the workforce.

With 76% believing that AI is a major economic opportunity for Ireland, the findings point to strong optimism about AI’s wider potential. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say AI skills are now essential to compete in the jobs market, up from 50% in 2025, while 61% believe developing AI skills will support career progression, and 59% worry they will fall behind if they do not adapt quickly.? AI is influencing career decisions as well as workplace practices, with 13% saying?they would consider changing employer for access to better AI tools.

While workers are quickly embracing AI – AI use at work has risen to 63%, while 57% of workers can identify where AI agents could help in their role, and 48% already use AI agents regularly or occasionally – organisations are in catch-up mode with employers yet to provide the right levels of skilling, investment and leadership to maximise the AI opportunity.

Only 40% say they have received enough AI training or guidance, less than half (44%) say their employer provides the tools and resources they need, and fewer than half (48%) say leadership expectations around AI use are clear. The findings suggest Ireland’s AI opportunity is not constrained by employee appetite, but by how quickly organisations can translate that enthusiasm into practical capability, trusted adoption and business value.

Organisations can accelerate AI adoption by building on a strong base of employee openness and responsible use. Nearly two-thirds of workers (65%) are open to new ideas and ways of working with AI, 89% say AI has improved the quality of their work, 61% are curious about what AI could unlock for them or their team, and 65% say they treat AI output as a starting point while remaining responsible for the final work.

Leadership will be critical to converting employee interest into confident adoption. However, more than half of workers (51%) say leadership is out of touch with employees, while fewer than half say their manager actively uses AI, encourages AI adoption or supports experimentation. The findings point to a clear opportunity for leaders to model responsible use, set expectations and give employees the confidence and permission to explore where AI can add value.

The research also highlights a growing governance challenge. Nearly half of workers (47%) say they would use free or publicly available AI tools if their employer did not provide a suitable alternative, while only 51% say their organisation has clear rules on what data can be entered into AI tools.

AI adoption is moving faster than organisational governance. Without trusted tools, clear guidance and updated policies, employees may increasingly seek their own solutions, potentially creating new and significant security and compliance risks for organisations.

The findings also sit against a broader backdrop of changing workforce expectations. Burnout has risen to 44%, up from 39% in 2025, and more than a third (34%) struggle to maintain the right work-life balance.

Workers increasingly see potential for AI to ease pressure. More than a third (36%) say they would use time saved through AI to reduce workload or stress, while 32% would invest that time in learning new skills. More than half (55%) say AI helps them focus on meaningful work, 51% believe it enables higher-value work, and 45% say it is helping to improve their wellbeing.

The challenge for organisations is whether those gains will translate into better ways of working. Without broader organisational change, the benefits of AI risk being absorbed into existing workloads rather than becoming improvements in employee experience, service?delivery?and organisational performance.

The findings suggest the next phase of workplace change will be shaped as much by organisational and workforce readiness as by access to technology.

For employers, the opportunity is to move beyond experimentation and focus on where AI can create meaningful value. That means identifying where AI can improve processes, remove friction, support better decision-making, and free employees to focus on higher-value work. It also means equipping employees with the trusted tools, practical skills and organisational support they need to adopt AI confidently and responsibly.

The organisations that get this right will be better positioned to turn AI into meaningful value but this requires clear leadership, governance, and a willingness to rethink established ways of working.

Commenting on the findings, Catherine Doyle, General Manager, Microsoft Ireland, said: “Ireland’s workforce is adapting quickly to a changing world of work. People are thinking differently about the skills they need, the career paths they want and the opportunities they expect from their employers. At the same time, there is strong recognition of AI’s potential, both for individual careers and for Ireland’s future competitiveness.

“What is particularly encouraging is that workers are not waiting on the sidelines. They’re developing new future-ready skills and exploring how AI can help them in their current and future roles. The challenge now is whether organisations can keep pace with this momentum.

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