Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
480. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps his Department is taking to address labour displacement from Artificial Intelligence within and beyond what is set out in the Programme for Government, in the context of increasing concerns around the reach of such displacement to multiple sectors within the Irish economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30951/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future recognises artificial intelligence as a key driver of economic change. Artificial intelligence is also a disruptive technology. It is important to acknowledge that while it will generate significant opportunities, it also poses risks of job displacement. As a result, the development of new skills and capacities within the workforce will be essential, given the likelihood that new types of roles will emerge.
The ESRI and the Department of Finance’s recent report, Artificial Intelligence and Income Inequality in Ireland, published earlier this month underlines that forward looking government policy, particularly focused on lifelong learning and reskilling programmes, can play a decisive role in reducing the potential impact of AI on jobs. It also highlights the potential resilience of the workforce to AI adoption, with our high third level educational attainment providing a significant boost to worker adaption to new technologies, including AI.
This is precisely why the new National Digital & AI Strategy, Connecting our People, Securing our Future, commits to supporting workers in managing the impacts of potential job displacement by ensuring access to agile, fit-for-purpose and high-quality upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
Key deliverables from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to ensure the alignment of skills provision to support workers to adapt to changes arising from AI include:
• Roadmap for Technology Skills of the Future to ensure the skills ecosystem remains future-focused.
• A new online one-stop-shop AI Skilling Platform for employers and individuals.
• A nationwide Digital and AI skilling campaign to highlight opportunities.
• A National Skills Observatory to analyse labour market dynamics and skills development across all skills needs, identifying gaps in provision, and enabling additional skills initiatives.
In October 2025, research from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs found that AI adoption in Ireland is accelerating, with demand for AI roles and usage doubling since 2023, highlighting strong labour-market dynamism. It states that Ireland’s enterprise sector and workforce are adapting rapidly to AI. Across several metrics, Ireland is close to the top of global rankings in relation to AI with a very strong demand for persons with AI skills but also a robust pipeline of quality jobs in this field.
It will be important to closely monitor AI developments across the labour market. My Department is actively doing this by funding and co-funding forward-looking research, including Skills for Digital Specialists 2030, a new Working in Ireland Survey led by UCD, alongside ongoing collaboration with the OECD.
Finally, it is important to note that current labour-market conditions remain strong. Employment stands at 2.83 million, up 56,700 year-on-year to Q4 2025, with record participation and near-record low unemployment.
