Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
402. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline any engagement he has had with industry on the subject of new graduates being unable to obtain entry-level jobs in areas most affected by the adoption of artificial intelligence; if his Department has conducted any industry surveys to assess the existence of such a trend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73807/25]
View answerI regularly engage with the enterprise sector and with the agencies under the remit of this department in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) and the labour market. In respect of graduate employment and entry level jobs and the impact of AI, I am not aware of any specific evidence. Instead, I would take a broader look at the labour market and highlight how well our economy is performing despite difficult external conditions.
If you look to the latest CSO Labour Force Survey (LFS), this showed that there were a record number of people at work in our economy, with total employment at 2.8 million. Furthermore, our economy is continuing to add and create jobs with total numbers at work were up 30,700 persons in the year to Q3. Ireland has record low rates of unemployment and record high rates of activity.
There is no doubt that AI will revolutionise many aspects of the labour market and how we go about our day-to-day work. Research from both this Department and the Department of Finance (see: Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe - www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/publications/artificial-intelligence-friend-or-foe/), pointed to the fact that the Irish labour market is more exposed to AI than many of our peer economies. This points to risks and opportunities. The same work also highlighted that younger workers (those aged 15-24 years) appear to be slightly more exposed to AI, relative to older workers. This reflects factors such as educational attainment (younger workers here tend to be more qualified).
While the pace of job creation within Ireland has slowed in recent months, much of this was anticipated, reflecting global headwinds and capacity constraints. I also note that the Department of Finance and the Central Bank Ireland both expect that unemployment will remain below 5% on average in 2026 and 2027.
We are continuing to monitor the labour market and AI very closely. My department, through the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) published a very interesting paper on this very theme last October. The paper ‘How AI is transforming the Irish Labour Market’ (see: egfsn-skills-insight-note-2025-2-_how-ai-is-transforming-the-irish-labour-market-final-for-website.pdf - www.egfsn.ie/media/2y5derks/egfsn-skills-insight-note-2025-2-_how-ai-is-transforming-the-irish-labour-market-final-for-website.pdf) highlights the speed at which Ireland is moving in relation to AI. The research noted that Ireland leads in terms of the demand for AI jobs but also has a strong performance in relation to the supply of AI talent.
We have seen a doubling in AI jobs and usage since 2023. While this is a fast-changing field – it shows the inherent dynamism and resilience of the Irish labour market and this bodes well for productivity, growth and incomes. The paper used national level data to compare Ireland with other European and international economies but doesn’t go specifically into graduate or entry level jobs.
I will be keeping a very close eye on the impact of AI over the coming months and I would point to several projects underway within my Department that will shed on this key area. The EGFSN is funding or co-funding a number of very important pieces of AI related work, including a project on ‘Skills for Digital Specialists 2030’. I expect that this will be published in early 2026. This report will identify skills needs and skills gaps for ICT/digital specialists, including AI.
The EGFSN is also co-funding a new ‘Working in Ireland Survey’ on the Irish labour market being done by UCD. Research from this extensive, all-island study will be available in 2026 and will include work on AI and the labour market. My Department also has a working relationship with the OECD on AI related research and I expect this will continue next year.
