Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
483. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of unfilled post-primary teaching posts in 2025, by subject, as reported in the Teacher Supply Action Plan monitoring returns. [5682/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.
There are more qualified teachers than ever working in schools with an analysis of payroll data as of March 2025, shows there are 79,225 teachers employed in our schools across the country including 36,004 in post-primary schools. This analysis found that over 97% of allocated teaching posts were filled nationwide. Teacher attrition remains low, with fewer than 3% resigning or retiring annually, one of the lowest rates in the OECD.
Payroll data from March 2025 shows 1.8% of allocations (621 posts) in post-primary were unutilised. This relatively low vacancy rates suggests that the vast majority of schools are well-staffed and able to meet the needs of their students.
While the Department does not have the data for the number of unfilled post-primary teaching posts in 2025, by subject, data published by the Department for the vacancies by subject for the 2023/2024 school year is available through the Survey of Teacher Unmet Demand in Post Primary Schools 2023/24 report, at this link <https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/f30264cc/Survey_of_Unmet_Demand_School_year_2023_24.pdf>. An excerpt of this report is provided in the table below.
Table: Vacant posts by subject for the 23/24 school year
|
Subject |
Vacant posts |
|
Gaeilge |
55.7 |
|
Mathematics |
52.77 |
|
Career Guidance |
32.26 |
|
Home Economics |
31.5 |
|
English |
19.2 |
|
Construction Studies |
16 |
|
Science (JC) |
13 |
|
Technology |
12 |
|
Engineering |
10.5 |
|
Spanish |
9.88 |
|
Physical Education |
8.5 |
|
French |
8.2 |
|
Religious Education |
8 |
|
Design and Communication Graphics |
6.5 |
|
History |
6.1 |
|
Physics |
6 |
|
Geography |
5.6 |
|
Business |
4.2 |
|
Music |
3.7 |
|
Miscellaneous |
3.5 |
|
German |
3 |
|
Biology |
3 |
|
Accounting |
2.2 |
|
Digital Media Literacy |
2 |
|
Agricultural Science |
2 |
|
Art |
1.5 |
|
Politics and Society |
1 |
|
Applied Technology |
1 |
|
SPHE |
0.5 |
|
Computer Science |
0.5 |
|
Chemistry |
0.5 |
|
LCA and LCVP Co-ordinators |
0.5 |
|
Applied Mathematics |
0.09
|
As with other sectors, recruitment challenges exist in some schools. To address teacher supply issues, including the recruitment of substitutes, the Government has implemented several measures that have led to:
- an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and
- over 30% increase in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council since 2017.
My Department has continued the suspension of the usual limits on career break and job-sharing schemes and extended the Teaching Hours Extension Scheme for post-primary teachers to the current school year 2025/26 to increase the pool of teachers available to undertake substitute work in schools.
A range of other measures have been introduced to address teacher supply. In 2025, a measure was announced to enable teachers gain permanent roles more quickly and more recently regulations were approved to allow teachers who qualified overseas to undertake their induction in the State.
Budget 2025 introduced a €2,000 bursary for student teachers in STEM fields, to increase the number of qualified STEM teachers in post-primary schools. Upskilling programmes have been expanded: registered post-primary teachers, regardless of employment status, can avail of free upskilling programmes, including in Irish, foreign languages and STEM subjects. These flexible programmes boost teachers’ employment opportunities while addressing subject-specific teacher shortages. New programmes in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science commenced in 2025, with over 160 teachers registered on these programmes and complement existing programmes in maths, physics, and Spanish.
A comprehensive workforce plan for the education sector, a commitment under the Programme for Government, is in development. Additionally,a project focused on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland, led by UNESCO and supported by the EU Commission, is in the process of developing recommendations for addressing the main factors affecting teacher supply in Ireland. This two-year project has involved extensive consultations with key stakeholders to develop recommendations, with a report due in 2026. The recommendations put forward in the context of the project will form the basis for the development by my Department of a strategic workforce plan for the teaching workforce in Ireland.
Preparations are being made to host an education convention, a Programme for Government commitment, that will bring together all stakeholders to share their experiences, expectations, and hopes for the future of our education system.
The teaching profession is attractive, with strong demand for teacher education programmes, with 3,600 newly qualified teachers, including 1,800 post-primary teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025. Salaries are competitive, starting at €46,448 (post-primary) and rising to €85,000 under the current pay deal.
Around 6% of first-choice CAO applications from 2017–2024 were for teaching, showing steady demand. In 2025, first preferences rose by 5% for post-primary teaching. Over 75% of new post-primary teachers are employed full-time.
My Department frequently consults and engages closely with stakeholders on teacher supply issues through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce will be considered to ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.
