Nearly half of employers reducing hiring in entry level roles 

Comes as firms focus recruitment efforts on more specialised roles

Country director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs Christopher Paye said the report shows that despite 'ongoing economic uncertainty, Ireland’s labour market remains fundamentally resilient'. File picture

Despite economic uncertainty, nearly half of employers plan on increasing hiring over the coming months with a focus on specialised roles at the expense of entry and graduate level positions, a new report from the recruitment platform IrishJobs has found.

According to the latest IrishJobs Hiring Trends Update, 46% of employers plan on increasing hiring in the coming months as confidence remains steady. Hiring sentiment is highest among large organisations with 54% expecting to increase hiring compared to only 35% of small businesses.

The update said that confidence is highest in the manufacturing sector with 69% of firms planning on increasing hiring. 

Despite some recent high-profile headcount reductions by large tech multinationals, 56% of employers in the IT and telecoms sector increased hiring over the last six months. In addition, 51% of employers in the professional services sector, 48% in construction, and 42% in manufacturing also indicated they intend to increase hiring in the second half of this year.

IrishJobs said that while the overall hiring landscape is “encouraging” indicators signal that employers are recalibrating recruitment strategies with 83% of recruiters saying that hiring has become more strategic and focused on specific roles.

“Against a backdrop of rising labour costs and increased AI adoption, 47% of employers have reduced the number of entry and graduate level roles available in their organisation,” IrishJobs said, adding that 66% of employers say that the skills needed in their industry are rapidly evolving.

The report found that over one in four firms in Ireland are hiring for highly specialised roles in AI and machine learning.

“Technical skills are highly in demand across a range of industries, with 22% of employers looking for skilled cybersecurity talent, 23% seeking technology and engineering talent and 24% of employers are hiring talent with skills in sales and business development,” the company said.

Country director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs Christopher Paye said the report shows that despite “ongoing economic uncertainty, Ireland’s labour market remains fundamentally resilient”.

“We’re seeing a clear shift toward more strategic hiring, with organisations prioritising business-critical roles that support productivity and long-term competitiveness. As hiring becomes more selective, our findings show that employers are prioritising targeted capability-building in specialised functions such as AI and cybersecurity, rather than broad-based expansion,” he said.

“Rising labour costs and advances in AI are also reshaping workforce planning, prompting many employers to rebalance their hiring mix and focus on experienced talent with in-demand skills.” 

The use of AI tools in recruitment is increasing. According to IrishJobs, in 2024 28% of recruiters said they were using AI tools while 78% now say they are learning to use the tools to reduce administrative burdens and streamline the hiring process. The median time for successful hiring is eight weeks.

The report was based on insights from 500 human resource leaders and nearly 1,000 jobseekers across Ireland taken between March and April this year.

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