Professional job openings across Ireland fall by 7.2% in Q2

Trayc Keevans, global FDI director with recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley Ireland. Morgan McKinley said professional job openings across Ireland fell by 7.2% in the second quarter of the year.

Professional job openings across Ireland fell by 7.2% in the second quarter of the year, and were down 9.9% year-on-year, as companies tighten up on costs and productivity, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The Morgan McKinley Ireland Employment Monitor also reported that jobseeker numbers fell by 6.8% quarter-on-quarter but remained 18.4% higher than a year earlier. The report said job demand remained active in roles linked to regulation, risk, infrastructure, transformation, AI, data, and specialist project delivery. Broader expansion and non-essential replacement hiring became harder to justify in companies, the report said.

“The professional employment market is entering a more disciplined phase. Employers remain active but are placing greater emphasis on hiring with precision," said Trayc Keevans, global FDI director at Morgan McKinley Ireland. "Companies still have work to deliver, but they are being far more cautious about adding permanent headcount. That is why hiring processes are slower and vacancies are lower, as organisations balance growth ambitions with cost management, while contract talent continues to provide the flexibility many businesses need."

AI also moved further into hiring decisions. "The market is shifting from first-wave adoption to a more demanding phase focused on management, governance, and measurable impact. Employers still want AI capability, but they are also asking how AI changes roles, teams, recruitment, and productivity," the report said.

Salary growth remained largely flat, with premiums limited to scarce skills such as AI engineering, employment law, regulatory reporting, senior construction roles, and specialist engineering or life sciences project roles. Across much of the market, baseline salaries stabilised.

Three days in the office becoming default

Hybrid working remains established, but three days in the office is increasingly becoming the default. Some employers are pressing for four or five days on-site which continues to create friction with candidates who place a high value on flexibility, despite tightened return-to-office expectations.

Ms Keevans said there is a "clear shift" in bargaining power. "Employers have more choice, wage pressure has eased and candidates are having to work harder to show why they should be hired. A strong CV is no longer enough on its own. Employers want evidence of impact, whether that is improving performance, adding value, reducing risk, managing change, or helping a business become more productive.

“AI is sharpening that shift. It is not simply creating new roles; it is giving employers a reason to look again at the structure of existing roles. If parts of a job can be automated, simplified or absorbed by existing teams, employers will question whether that role needs to be replaced in the same way.

“That does not mean AI is about to wipe out professional jobs. The more immediate impact is fewer automatic replacements, more pressure on routine administrative and operational work, and greater value placed on judgement, commercial thinking, regulation, client management, and technical expertise.

“The risk for employers is mistaking caution for strategy. If they hold back too much, they may find themselves short of the skills they need when momentum returns.”

Technology hiring remained active but more selective in Q2. Financial services remained steady but cautious, with hiring focused on replacement roles, internal progression and specialist skills linked to regulation and client demand. Accounting and finance held up, although permanent hiring softened in Dublin and the South-West.  Life sciences and engineering remained strongly contract-led.

Construction remained one of the strongest sectors, supported by major infrastructure activity and persistent talent shortages. Quantity Surveyors, Estimators, Project Managers, Site Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical staff and Project Planners remained in high demand, with water, transport and major infrastructure projects continuing to drive hiring.

Executive hiring picked up after a slower start to the year.  HR hiring remained cautious. Supply chain and procurement jobs shifted firmly towards an employer-led market, with permanent roles limited and contract and temporary hiring dominant. 

 Programme Managers, Project Managers, Strategy Managers and Business Analysts remained in demand, the report said.

Marketing hiring slowed on the permanent side as budget constraints made employers more cautious.  Multilingual recruitment remained heavily contract-led.

Sales remained one of the more positive areas of the market, with healthy job flow and a good supply of available candidates.

Legal hiring remained active, with demand rising sharply for employment lawyers. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, increased use of AI and global shifts bringing oversight of Irish employee relations back to Ireland are shaping demand.