Ottoline SpearmanAI adoption is reshaping Ireland’s labour market, narrowing graduate hiring while intensifying demand for specialist talent across sectors, according to new data from Morgan McKinley. Morgan McKinley said this suggested a shift towards more intentional job search behaviour rather than labour market stress. "AI is reshaping roles rather than removing them outright, but it is changing who gets hired and at what level." She said that AI capability is expected across software development, architecture, and project roles, with graduate and junior hiring remaining cautious. Active areas of the labour market with hiring activity remaining high included corporate tax specialists, newly qualified accountants, senior finance professionals, as well as life sciences, engineering and pharma.

Source: The Herald January 19, 2026 12:36 UTC