Irish workers embrace AI as a career catalyst amid rising job turnover, declining burnout, and growing demand for flexibility, says Microsoft Ireland.
Irish workers are increasingly viewing artificial intelligence (AI) as a gateway to career advancement, according to Microsoft Ireland’s 2025 Work Trend Index.
The annual survey, which canvassed 1,000 employees across the country, reveals a workforce in transition, with AI adoption accelerating, job turnover reaching record levels, and employees calling for greater flexibility and support.
“The message from workers is urgent and clear: they want the tools, support and skills to adapt”
AI usage among Irish workers has surged by 27% over the past year. More than half (54%) believe AI skills will broaden their career opportunities, while 41% say it helps them work smarter.
A further 40% think AI proficiency could accelerate their path to promotion, and 34% report that AI has prompted them to reconsider their career trajectory.
Demand for training
Despite this optimism, access to AI tools remains uneven.
While 91% of board-level executives report using AI at work, only 39% of non-managers do the same.
Usage also varies by gender and generation, with 63% of men using AI compared to 47% of women, and younger millennials (62%) leading adoption ahead of Gen Z (55%) and Gen X (47%).
“Ireland is at a turning point. As AI transforms the world of work, Irish employees and employers are navigating rapid change and new opportunities,” Catherine Doyle, general manager of Microsoft Ireland said.
“The message from workers is urgent and clear: they want the tools, support and skills to adapt. Organisations that embrace AI and invest in inclusive training will be best placed to lead in productivity, innovation and resilience.”
The report highlights a growing demand for structured AI training, with 61% of workers saying employer-led programmes would accelerate adoption. Nearly half (47%) believe they should be given more time to explore AI independently.
Labour market volatility is another key theme. A record 38% of respondents said they had changed roles in the past year, up from 23% in 2024 and 19% in 2023. The most cited reasons for switching jobs include work-life balance (11%), well-being (7%), issues with direct managers (7%), company culture (6%), lack of confidence in leadership (6%) and insufficient flexible work options (6%).
While burnout has declined to a three-year low of 39%, overall workplace happiness has dropped by 13 percentage points to 65%. Thirty percent of workers plan to request more flexibility in their roles.
The report also draws on Microsoft’s global telemetry data, revealing that the modern workday is increasingly fragmented. Employees are interrupted every two minutes, receive an average of 117 emails daily, and spend 57% of meetings in unscheduled sessions.
AI is seen as a practical solution to these pressures. Among Irish users, 91% say AI improves the quality of their work. The most common workplace applications include summarising information (52%), search (39%), brainstorming and problem solving (36%), producing and editing text (34%), analysing data (26%) and managing calendars (18%).
Microsoft Ireland’s Skill Up Ireland initiative aims to address the skilling gap by partnering with education providers, industry and communities to expand access to AI and digital skills. The programme offers foundational learning and role-based training, helping workers gain practical experience and, where relevant, industry-recognised credentials.
The Work Trend Index complements Microsoft’s global research on workplace transformation and the impact of emerging technologies. It also aligns with findings from the AI Economy in Ireland 2025 report, produced in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, which projects a €250bn GDP impact from AI by 2035.
Image at top: Catherine Doyle, general manager, Microsoft Ireland
-
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
