AI skills take priority as company CEOs shift recruitment amid rising costs

Helena O'Dwyer of EY says Irish CEOs are responding with 'real urgency' to rising costs.

Skills in AI are increasingly shaping recruitment strategies in Ireland, with 98% of company chief executives surveyed predicting AI to have a transformative or significant impact on their business model within two years.

The EY Ireland CEO Outlook published on Tuesday found 60% of company chief executives in Ireland plan to maintain or increase hiring this year, with AI increasingly playing a role. Organisations reported accelerating reskilling and redeployment due to the competition for talent. Priority skills include AI, cyber resilience, cloud engineering, transformation, and regulation. 

"Hiring plans are shifting as organisations needs evolve. Organisations need people who apply and leverage technology to deliver tangible outcomes for the business," EY Ireland's Laura Flynn. 

Almost one in three (30%) leaders questioned said AI initiatives have delivered significantly above expectations. Early benefits were identified in customer operations, software development, risk and compliance automation, and forecasting. An overwhelming majority (98%) of CEOs expect AI to have a transformative or significant impact on their business model within two years, with generative AI (48%) and machine learning (45%) expected to play the largest roles. 

Cybersecurity remains the biggest concern when prioritising AI investment, cited by 30% of Irish CEOs.

Company transformation viewed as essential

Irish company leaders are speeding up the pace of change within their organisations, with half of CEOs responding they have already started significant enterprise‑wide transformation programmes with the other 50% planning to initiate one in the year ahead. Transformation is no longer seen as optional but essential to build more resilient business models.

Half of CEOs in Ireland cite cost reduction as key priority, and comes as 65% of CEOs in the EY survey expect operating costs to rise this year. “Irish CEOs are responding with real urgency. Leaders are pushing ahead with major transformation programmes, from adopting AI to strengthening cyber security and redesigning how their organisations work," said EY's Helena O'Dwyer. "Their focus is simple and practical: reduce costs, drive growth, and improve productivity through smarter use of technology. 

"It is a challenging environment, but Irish businesses are showing strong momentum, and many are already seeing the benefits.”

Geopolitics is actively reshaping decision making, with 46% of CEOs halting or delaying investments and 28% accelerating them in response. Nevertheless, dealmaking is also predicted to rise this year. 98% of Irish CEOs surveyed plan to pursue at least one transaction initiative in the next 12 months, including mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, or divestments. The top three key motivators cited by CEOs are accelerating growth, acquiring new capabilities, particularly in AI and cybersecurity, and strengthening customer reach.

The Ireland CEO findings are based on a survey of 40 CEOs and part of 1,200 executives polled globally. The majority (78%) of Irish CEOs expect overall business performance to improve in 2026 compared with 2025, with most anticipating an uplift in profitability. 

“Ireland continues to attract investment due to strong fundamentals such as stable government, policy certainty, and support for innovation, inspiring confidence for investors over the long term," added EY Ireland partner in Mergers & Acquisitions, Ronan Murray.