LinkedIn data shows applications rising and global AI specialists moving to Ireland.
Ireland is standing apart from its European neighbours as new LinkedIn data points to a labour market that remains active, competitive and increasingly attractive to global AI specialists.
Figures from the platform’s December dataset show that while jobseekers in the UK, France and Germany have slowed their activity, Irish candidates are continuing to pursue new roles.
“Jobseekers here remain active and optimistic, and employers who support their people in developing new skills will be best positioned as AI reshapes the workforce”
Applications per jobseeker fell in the UK by 7.9% year on year, in France by 5.7% and in Germany by 3.7%. Ireland moved in the opposite direction, recording a rise of 2.4%.
Irish worker confidence bucks European trend
Cara O’Leary, LinkedIn’s Ireland Country Manager, said the findings highlight a confidence among Irish workers that is not evident elsewhere in Europe. She noted that Irish candidates are still willing to engage with the market despite a period of wider economic uncertainty.
She added that an individual’s professional network is becoming increasingly important when pursuing new opportunities. According to LinkedIn, jobseekers are more than three times as likely to secure a role when they have a connection inside the organisation.
O’Leary said this underlines the growing influence of internal referral schemes in attracting talent and the role that existing employees can play in shaping hiring outcomes.
A second trend emerging from the data concerns the movement of AI engineering talent. Ireland has become a net beneficiary of global AI specialists, with a positive net migration rate of 2.2 per ten thousand members.
The country now ranks second internationally for attracting AI engineers. The United Arab Emirates leads with a rate of 4.2, followed by Germany, Australia and Singapore.
The figures reflect how quickly the AI labour market is expanding. Over the past two years, employers worldwide have created at least 1.3 million job opportunities linked to artificial intelligence. These roles include data annotators, AI engineers and forward deployed engineers, many of which did not exist five years ago.
Demand continues to outpace supply. Organisations facing shortages are increasingly focusing on the skills held by existing staff rather than on degrees or traditional job titles.
LinkedIn data indicates that companies can expand their internal pool of AI‑capable employees more than eightfold by prioritising skills development. Interest among workers is growing, with the time spent on AI learning modules on the platform accelerating over the past year.
O’Leary said the pace of change means employers cannot rely solely on the education system to meet future workforce needs.
She argued that companies which invest in upskilling will gain a structural advantage and noted that there has never been greater enthusiasm among professionals for AI‑related learning.
“Ireland is moving in a very different direction from the main European markets. Jobseekers here remain active and optimistic, and employers who support their people in developing new skills will be best positioned as AI reshapes the workforce,” O’Leary said.
Top image: Cara O’Leary, LinkedIn’s Ireland Country Manager
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