Irish tourism sector sees strong recovery in talent recruitment and retention, but momentum has plateaued.
Ireland’s tourism and hospitality sector has made significant progress in rebuilding its workforce since the pandemic, according to Fáilte Ireland which has released its 2025 Tourism Careers Labour Market Research.
However, the pace of improvement has now plateaued, prompting calls for renewed focus on pay, communication, and employee development.
The research, which surveyed over 1,100 employers and workers, highlights notable improvements in recruitment and retention. The proportion of employers reporting “considerable” difficulty hiring managers and supervisors has dropped from 55% in 2021 to 29% in 2025. Retention of chefs has also improved, with 39% of employers now reporting little or no difficulty, up from 27% in 2024.
Employee sentiment has strengthened, with 86% of workers now viewing tourism as a long-term career, compared to 71% in 2021. Passion for the job remains a key motivator, cited by 51% of workers and rising to 72% among chefs.
Pay and working conditions
Pay and working conditions have also seen positive developments. Sixty-two percent of workers report improvements in pay over the past two years, including better basic wages and compensation for unsocial hours such as bank holidays. Despite this, only 20% of workers credit their employers for these pay increases, while 57% of employers say they have implemented them—highlighting a perception gap that could impact trust and morale.
Training and development remain a priority, but 45% of small businesses cite lack of resources as a barrier to supporting staff growth.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD welcomed the findings, stating: “This research highlights the collective effort made by Government, Fáilte Ireland and industry to rebuild the tourism workforce post-Covid. The sector appears to have made strides in improving working conditions, career pathways and perceptions. However, we must now focus on sustaining this progress and addressing the challenges that remain to ensure that businesses are in a competitive position to attract and retain the skills needed to futureproof the sector.”
He added that the Government is focused on supporting SMEs to reduce the cost of doing business and is working with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills to expand tourism and hospitality courses and develop sustainable, well-paid careers.
“This research shows just how far the sector has come since 2021, when 40,000 vacancies and negative perceptions threatened tourism’s recovery,” said Jenny De Saulles, director of Sector Development at Fáilte Ireland.
“ Today, we see a workforce that is stable, passionate and more optimistic about long-term careers in tourism. From the employee perspective, we are seeing improved pay conditions, more positive experiences in the workplace, greater flexibility, better rewards for unsocial hours and career progression. These are all critical factors in building a resilient and competitive sector.”
She cautioned that continued progress is essential. “If the plateau we’re seeing continues, we risk slipping into reaction mode just as other sectors are stepping up their efforts to attract talent and retain talent. To futureproof tourism, we must keep our focus on people. That means investing in skills, communicating clearly and consistently, and prioritising employee development at every level.”
The research was conducted in partnership with Jobs.ie.
“Despite uncertain economic times, recruitment in the sector is robust with almost a quarter of all jobs on Jobs.ie so far this year coming from hospitality employers with high demand for a variety of positions including Chefs de Partie, Accommodation Assistants and Kitchen Porters,” said Christopher Paye, country director of The Stepstone Group Ireland.
He added that employers must focus on the hiring process itself. “To hire the best, employers must also focus on the hiring process itself –communicating clearly with candidates as well as streamlining their application journey. A positive experience can be the difference between securing top talent and losing it to another sector.”
-
Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
-
For support in challenging times, click here
-
Listen to the ThinkBusiness Podcast for business insights and inspiration. All episodes are here. You can also listen to the Podcast on:
-
Spotify
-
SoundCloud
-
Apple
