110,000 Irish Jobs at Risk from AI Automation, Engineers Ireland Study Warns
Engineers Ireland finds 110,000 Republic jobs vulnerable to AI automation short-to-medium term, with clerical and high-tech workers most at risk.
Irish Jobs Face Significant AI Displacement Risk
Engineers Ireland’s study indicates that around 110,000 jobs in the Republic could be vulnerable to automation by AI in the short to medium term, if domestic and international estimates are accurate. The Economic and Social Research Institute found about 7 per cent of Irish workers could face the loss of their jobs in the short term.
Clerical workers and high-tech professionals are most vulnerable to AI’s potential impact on jobs over the short and medium term, according to the research.
AI Pilot Projects Showing Limited Real-World Impact
While AI adoption accelerates, real-world results remain underwhelming. Research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology found 95 per cent of organisations reported “zero gains” from AI pilot projects, due to a number of factors. Additionally, 69 per cent of executives whose companies use the technology told the US National Bureau of Economic Research it had little impact, with their use amounting to around 1.5 hours a week.
Irish Public Expresses Significant AI Concerns
Research by Ipsos B & A shows that two out of three people surveyed were either very or somewhat familiar with AI. However, three-quarters of the 1,000 people questioned said they feared it would lead to job losses, and were concerned about its ability to impersonate people or lead to misuse of personal information.
Public sentiment on regulation is clear: 57 per cent of people believe governments should regulate AI more tightly.
US Sector Decline Signals Broader Automation Trend
A decline in payrolls in the financial-activities and information sectors — where AI adoption rates have been fastest — has accelerated in 2026, to 28,000 per month on average based on government data in the US.
Source: The Irish Times
Developments since publication
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S&P Global's latest PMI special survey shows a global net employment impact of -5 percentage points over the past 12 months, calculated as the percentage of businesses increasing workforce due to AI a Source
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S&P Global's PMI survey forecasts a further net employment impact of -2 percentage points due to AI investment in the 12 months ahead. Source
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Among enterprise AI objectives surveyed, process efficiency (64%) and employee productivity (59%) are the top-cited goals, while headcount reduction is cited by only 24% of respondents. Source
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Across 38 AI use cases surveyed by 451 Research, the average current adoption rate is 50% and the average planned adoption rate in the next year is 37%. Source
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83% (994 of 1,200) of S&P Global 1200 index participants had a lower headcount in January 2026 compared to January 2025; only 13% (153) experienced an increase. Source
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Cybersecurity is the most acute AI-related skills shortage, with 64% of respondents saying gaps had a moderate or severe impact on AI initiatives, followed by machine learning and AI development (59%) Source
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In 2026, only 16% of respondents say they completely trust third-party AI models, and 30% mostly trust them, down from 24% and 42% respectively in 2023. Source
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Covalen is cutting around 700 roles in Ireland, including workers on a data annotation team that moderates content and trains AI models for Meta. Source
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Meta is cutting about 20% of its Irish workforce — double the planned global average — and its Dublin headcount is now half what it was five years ago. Source
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Covalen is cutting around 700 roles at its Irish operations. Source
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Sarah Friar, OpenAI's chief financial officer, has been invited to Ireland's October 2026 AI summit, according to people familiar with the plans. Source
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Meta is cutting approximately 20% of its Irish workforce, double the planned global average reduction at the company. Source
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Bloomberg Economics estimates that 30% of workers in Ireland are likely to be meaningfully affected by AI, above the 27% advanced-economy average. Source
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The share of job postings in Ireland mentioning AI stands at 15%, the highest of any European country tracked by the Indeed AI Tracker, ahead of Spain (13%) and the UK (9%). Source
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Since the end of 2023, overall job postings across France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK have moved sideways or downward, while AI-related postings have increased substantially. Source
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In the United States, employment in jobs with a high risk of AI substitution declined on average by more than 4% between 2019 and 2025. Source
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In the United States, employment in jobs with a low risk of AI substitution increased by 13% between 2019 and 2025. Source
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The share of low-risk jobs in total US employment increased from 23% to 25% between 2019 and 2025. Source
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The share of high-risk jobs in total US employment dropped from 35% to 33% between 2019 and 2025. Source
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Between 2019 and 2025, jobs with a high substitution risk grew by around 15 percentage points less than jobs with a low substitution risk in the United States. Source
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AI substitution risk has had no significant impact on wage growth in the United States since 2019. Source
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Firms that adopt AI technologies in the European Union experience higher productivity gains, without the technology replacing labour in the short term. Source
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Firms with high levels of AI adoption or AI-related investment in the European Union are more likely to employ additional staff. Source
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Three-quarters of 1,000 people questioned in research for Engineers Ireland by Ipsos B & A said they feared AI would lead to job losses. Source
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45% of Irish employees expect AI to negatively impact or replace their current role in the future, up 19 percentage points compared with the prior year. Source
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Only 3.6% of Irish companies have used AI technology to replace a full position. Source
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65% of Irish companies have already commenced recruitment campaigns in 2026, representing an 11-point rise compared to the same time last year. Source
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More than two-thirds (68%) of Irish survey respondents said staff retention will be their number one priority in 2026. Source
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Employers are using AI and automation for 'repetitive and time-consuming' tasks, though they are not 'eliminating entire roles'. Source
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Employers are raising the bar for entry-level hires and graduate roles are becoming more diverse. Source
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Today's graduates require stronger commercial awareness, better communication skills and the ability to interpret data, 'not just process it'. Source
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In accounting, human resources and administrative roles, some tasks traditionally assigned to interns or graduates are now 'partially automated'. Source
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There is a 'tightening of the market' rather than a 'collapse in graduate hiring' with fewer large-scale graduate intake programmes in favour of more 'targeted hiring'. Source
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AI is creating new career opportunities for graduates, with roles such as 'prompt engineering' beginning to emerge. Source
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The greatest impact of AI is being seen within organisations that have invested most heavily in automation, which is most evident in 'parts of the Big Four and professional services, particularly audi Source
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Covalen is cutting around 700 roles due to AI investment by Meta. Source
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Anthropic and OpenAI have postings on LinkedIn for core engineering jobs in Dublin after expanding their offices there. Source
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Klaviyo Inc. is hiring and looking for more than 50,000 square feet of office space in Ireland. Source
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Engineers Ireland notes that this roughly aligns with findings by a number of international firms, which calculate that 6 per cent to 7 per cent of jobs are at risk. Source
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Three-quarters of 1,000 people surveyed said they feared AI would lead to job losses. Source
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Covalen is cutting around 700 roles as part of job cuts at the outsourcing company. Source
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Bloomberg Economics estimates that 27% of workers in advanced economies are likely to be meaningfully affected by AI. Source
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The figure for Ireland affected by AI is 30%, according to Bloomberg Economics. Source
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Ireland has the highest share of science, tech, engineering and math graduates per capita in the EU. Source
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If the country supports employees in gaining AI-adjacent skills, Ireland could benefit from the AI boom, according to Ireland's budget watchdog analysis. Source
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The Irish government is hosting a summit in October as part of its plan to showcase Ireland as a hub for AI development. Source
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The Irish government has invited Sarah Friar, OpenAI's chief financial officer, and several other C-suite leaders to the October AI summit. Source
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Employment in ICT among the under 30s dropped by almost one third between 2023 and 2025. Source
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In the first quarter of 2026, overall jobs in the tech sector fell almost 11% year-on-year in Ireland. Source
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Bloomberg Economics estimates that 27% of workers in advanced economies are likely to be meaningfully affected by AI, while the figure for Ireland is 30%. Source
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Meta is culling about 20% of its Irish workforce, double the planned global average at the company. Source
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Meta's Dublin headcount is half what it was five years ago, according to local estimates. Source
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Covalen is cutting around 700 roles as it reorients around AI. Source
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TikTok is considering cutting about 300 staff, impacting its AI data service and operations team among others. Source
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Ireland's budget watchdog analysis states: 'If labour income declines and capital income increases following AI adoption, Ireland's overall tax base will narrow significantly.' Source
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The Irish government is hosting an AI summit in October as part of its plan to showcase Ireland as a hub for AI development, and has invited Sarah Friar, OpenAI's chief financial officer. Source
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More than 6% of Ireland's workforce is employed in the tech sector, higher than the European Union average. Source