HR leaders are in a race to keep pace with AI

With AI and GenAI evolving rapidly, HR leaders and recruiters are keen to advise employers and workers on the many challenges and opportunities

Employer-based surveys point to an upward trend in recruitment in many key sectors during 2026, for those with the right range of skills and aptitudes.

The exponential rise of AI has transformed Ireland’s industries, both big and small. From finance to healthcare, factories to marketing, and from tech to the media, the increasing prevalence of revolutionary AI tools will soon mean that every job in Ireland will be impacted by it, for better or for worse.

Given Ireland’s position as a major business hub for some of the world’s largest multinationals, in addition to its ageing population, it is no surprise that this small country on the periphery of Europe is leading the way in Generative AI jobs, a subfield of AI that specialises in the creation of original content by learning patterns from existing data.

This can include various forms of data such as images, text, audio, and even software code.

In 2025, the share of GenAI job postings is now surpassing the share of more traditional roles, such as bartender, according to findings from the jobs site Indeed.

For GenAI, its share of the jobs market has crept up to 0.7%, close to the current demand for Irish lorry drivers. This reflects a notable rise from just 0.2% in 2024. Across the broader AI market, however, the share of jobs on offer rises to 6.4%.

Pawel Adrjan, director of economic research across the EMEA and APAC regions of recruitment firm Indeed.

“In many developed markets, we are seeing the effect that ageing populations are having on labour shortages and how there are necessary gaps to fill,” says Pawel Adrjan, director of economic research across the EMEA and APAC regions of Indeed. “Our research shows that nearly every job will be impacted by AI at some point.” 

However, Mr Adrjan says that despite its rising demand among employers, human intelligence will remain a “strong requirement”.

“Of the skills examined, roughly two-thirds (69%) are unlikely to be replaced by GenAI, emphasising the ongoing need for human expertise in the workplace,” Indeed reported in November.

While this is marketed as a positive thing, what does that mean for the remaining third of Irish employees in direct competition with an ever-improving technology?

There are currently 2.8m people in employment in Ireland. One-third of that equates to 924,000 people who are at risk of being replaced by AI.

“We know that GenAI tools are an excellent resource to enhance efficiencies, but they are currently limited in comparison to human expertise. These tools have a strong potential to create new roles of their own,” Mr Adrjan adds.

Note the keyword “currently”. GenAI is evolving at an incredibly fast pace, with advancements happening simultaneously across multiple developmental fronts. From improved algorithms to ever-advancing large language models, deficits in AI that necessitate human intervention will continue to close, meaning that one-third of an at-risk workforce could quickly escalate to an even larger share of Irish workers facing replacement.

Already, AI adoption in Irish businesses has surged to more than 90%, specialist tech recruitment and consultancy firm Stellfox has found.

This is more than double what it was in 2024, with Ireland continually outpacing other EU countries. This means Irish workers are notably more at risk than their European counterparts.

“What’s remarkable is not just how quickly Irish companies are adopting it, but how deeply it’s reshaping the skills market,” says Jennifer Dillon, managing director of Stellfox.

AI will also not affect all workers equally. Certain demographics are more at risk of AI’s rising adoption due to the positions they hold in the workplace. For example, women will be disproportionately affected due to representation in administrative, clerical and customer service roles, which are jobs all at a higher risk of automation.

Jennifer Dillon, managing director of recruitment firm Stellfox.

Younger workers and college graduates looking to enter the workforce are also at a heightened risk as they occupy early-career and entry-level roles that tend to include more routine tasks, making them more exposed to potential displacement.

Increased AI use also poses significant threats to Ireland’s climate targets. Currently, Irish data centres consume more electricity than residential households, with AI’s rising adoption putting further strain on a grid already struggling to keep pace with demand.

Already, experts have raised concerns that the sudden surge in power demand driven by data centres could derail climate targets, with many planning and energy bodies already warning that the country’s electricity supply is under growing pressure.

There is no doubt that AI has its benefits in the workplace. By automating tedious tasks and allowing additional time for meaningful work, AI can boost efficiency and productivity.

Ireland’s largest accounting firms, from Accenture to EY to Deloitte, are continually leveraging AI to enhance their consulting services and help clients. Across Irish manufacturing, AI is making strides in improving both productivity, efficiency and workplace safety, with 52% of manufacturers in Ireland highlighting AI as a main priority, research from business lobby group Ibec shows.

Across the healthcare industry, 82% of leaders plan to invest in the digitalisation of healthcare, Ibec also found, with two-thirds identifying AI as the greatest area of focus for the sector. 

Just this summer, Dublin’s Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) launched a new Centre for AI and Digital Health, which will use AI to solve clinical problems across the hospital, helping it reduce emergency department waiting times, assist in diagnostics and automate time-consuming tasks.

In the research field, AI is being used to combat life-changing diseases — like heart disease and diabetes — by giving people personalised diet plans, thus enabling prevention.

AI has its uses, and its adoption across many fields of Ireland’s working world should be welcomed. But like every other major technological revolution, there comes a dark side. AI is having devastating impacts on people’s mental health, contributing to society’s ever-worsening loneliness epidemic, and being manipulated by people to deepfake, target and defraud people; problems that will only get worse with enhanced AI adoption, even in the workplace.

As companies rush to integrate these ever-evolving technologies, they must strike an appropriate balance and ensure AI is deployed ethically and responsibly, with clear regulations and safeguards in place.

Only through collaboration, strong governance and proactive measures can Ireland mitigate the dangers and ensure the benefits of AI are shared equitably across the workplace.