Number of Irish professionals seeking work surges 51%

Ireland’s professional jobseekers rose 51% year on year in Q3 2026, as employers faced skills shortages and AI reshaped recruitment and hiring.

Ireland’s professional jobs market is becoming increasingly competitive, with the number of jobseekers registering for new opportunities surging 51% year on year.

Despite this employers continue to struggle to find specialist talent.

Professional job openings increased by just 0.2% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous three months and were 4.8% lower than a year earlier, according to the latest Morgan McKinley Ireland Employment Monitor.

Jobseeker registrations climbed 14.1% quarter on quarter and 51% year on year. Morgan McKinley said the rise does not represent a corresponding increase in unemployment or immediately available workers, as many professionals exploring new opportunities remain in permanent employment.

The recruitment firm said corporate restructuring, consolidation in the technology sector, changing hybrid working requirements and longer recruitment processes were contributing to the increase in jobseeker activity.

Hiring remained resilient during the traditional summer slowdown, with employers continuing to scrutinise permanent headcount. Demand was strongest in roles linked to regulation, infrastructure investment, risk management, data, AI and project delivery.

Contract, temporary and fractional hiring also remained an important part of the market as businesses sought specialist expertise without immediately committing to permanent appointments.

Specialist skills remain in demand

Trayc Keevans, Global FDI Director at Morgan McKinley Ireland, said the headline figures only tell part of the story.

“The headline numbers suggest the labour market has become more favourable for employers, but the reality is more nuanced. Candidate availability has increased significantly over the past year, yet organisations continue to compete intensely for people with specialist expertise.

“What we are seeing is a growing divide between volume and capability. There are more professionals actively looking for opportunities, but employers still face shortages in areas such as AI, cyber security, engineering, construction, compliance and employment law. These are the skills employers need to manage regulation, deliver major projects and adapt to new technology.”

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AI is becoming increasingly influential in recruitment, both in the skills businesses want and in the process of recruiting candidates.

Employers are seeking practical AI capabilities across finance, HR, marketing and operations. Recruitment teams are also dealing with more AI-assisted applications and AI-generated CVs, raising concerns around candidate authenticity.

“AI is now influencing almost every hiring conversation. Employers are looking beyond technical qualifications to identify candidates who can apply new technologies in commercial, regulated and customer focused environments. The strongest candidates are those who can combine specialist expertise with adaptability, judgement and problem solving,” Keevans said.

AI changes technology hiring

Technology recruitment during the quarter was shaped by growing demand for AI-enabled positions.

GenAI Engineers, Data Engineers and Software Engineers with practical AI capabilities were among the most sought-after professionals, while Solutions Architects are increasingly expected to have generative AI experience.

Keevans said investment by US companies was adding further pressure to the market.

“US companies establishing AI engineering hubs and Centres of Excellence in Ireland are adding further demand for AI, MLOps, data engineering, cloud, DevOps and security skills, as traditional contract demand for full-stack, Java and React/Node roles softens.”

AI is also influencing recruitment in accounting and finance. Some employers in Dublin are examining whether automated workflows can absorb transactional finance work before replacing employees who leave.

Demand is moving towards commercial finance, business partnering, forecasting, cash flow, FP&A and practical AI capabilities.

Regulation drives financial services recruitment

Financial services hiring was led by regulation, risk requirements and expansion during the quarter.

Banks, insurers, funds, fintechs and wealth managers continued recruiting, particularly in credit risk, regulatory reporting, AML, financial crime, product, transformation and technology risk.

“AI is also entering day to day financial services work, but employers are placing most value on candidates who can challenge and validate AI outputs,” Keevans said.

Demand has also intensified for employment lawyers as businesses prepare for AI-related redundancies and more employees use AI tools to prepare Workplace Relations Commission claims.

“Employment lawyers are seeing salary pressure because demand is acute and supply is not increasing,” Keevans said.

Construction shortages constrain delivery

Construction remains one of the most pressured areas of Ireland’s professional employment market.

Recruitment demand is being driven by housing, infrastructure, life sciences, data centres and advanced manufacturing, with shortages emerging across quantity surveying, project management, site engineering, mechanical and electrical roles, planning and health and safety.

“Shortages in quantity surveying, project management, site engineering, mechanical and electrical roles, planning and health and safety are now constraining delivery,” Keevans said.

Employers are also competing with overseas markets for experienced professionals. Housing and living costs, gaps in public transport and uncertainty around project start dates caused by planning delays are making recruitment and retention more difficult.

Life sciences and engineering recruitment also remained active, with demand concentrated around validation, automation, CQV, utilities, quality, maintenance and project engineering.

Transformation moves up the agenda

Senior recruitment is increasingly being shaped by businesses looking for leaders capable of managing technology and organisational change.

Chief Transformation Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Data Officers and Heads of AI were among the positions in demand during the quarter.

Private data centre development generated demand for Commercial and Construction Directors, while fractional CFO and HR Director appointments continued to grow as companies looked to access senior expertise without making permanent appointments.

Projects and transformation hiring was similarly active, with demand for programme managers, project managers, change managers and business analysts.

Competition for these jobs increased at senior level, while some financial services and technology businesses reduced Ireland-based roles through offshoring.

AI reaches HR, procurement and marketing

Changes in technology are also feeding into business support and HR recruitment.

Demand returned in business support following a quieter summer, alongside redundancies among Executive Assistants and senior operations roles in Dublin.

HR recruitment remained active across business partnering, employee relations, HRIS, reward, benchmarking and change. Employers are also looking for professionals capable of supporting role redesign, AI adoption, regulation and return-to-office policies.

Supply chain and procurement recruitment became more cautious during the third quarter, although logistics and technology procurement remained areas of demand.

Technology procurement professionals are increasingly involved in assessing AI providers and procurement transformation. AI is beginning to automate purchase order processing and spend classification, while category management, negotiation and supplier relationships continue to rely on human judgement.

Marketing recruitment picked up in September as organisations used remaining budgets and finalised plans for 2027. Employers are increasingly seeking candidates who can demonstrate a connection between marketing activity and revenue, retention and customer growth, alongside skills in AI, automation, CRM and lifecycle marketing.

Sales remained one of the steadier professional employment markets, with demand for enterprise account executives, sales development representatives, field sales representatives, account managers and sales operations specialists.

Candidate shortages continue in specific areas, particularly construction-related sales roles.

Morgan McKinley’s Employment Monitor is based on its records of new permanent and contract vacancies and new jobseekers registering with the recruitment firm. Its Irish data is drawn from its network of offices in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Image at top: Trayc Keevans, Morgan McKinley