Ireland ranks fourth globally for AI engineering talent, finds report

Ireland has emerged as a global leader in AI engineering talent, according to a report published by IDA Ireland in collaboration with Microsoft and LinkedIn. The Labour Market Pulse Report reveals that Ireland is ranked fourth in the world for AI engineering talent concentration, trailing only Israel, Singapore, and Luxembourg. The report also highlights that Ireland ranks fourth globally for net AI talent migration and first in the IMF Skills Readiness Index, indicating that the country is an attractive location for professionals seeking to establish or advance their careers in AI.

IDA Ireland's CEO, Michael Lohan, expressed optimism about Ireland's position in the AI era, noting that even as global hiring has moderated, employment within IDA's client base grew in 2025. Digital and AI accounted for 40% of global greenfield investment last year, and around two-thirds of the research and development projects supported by IDA last year involved AI.

Lohan emphasized that ranking fourth in AI talent sends a strong signal to investors, and the focus now is on building on this advantage through continued investment in talent, infrastructure, and adoption.

Ireland's labour market remains resilient, with employment at 2.84 million in Q2 of 2026, and unemployment consistently at or below 5.1% for 54 consecutive months. The report also found that Ireland displays greater resilience compared to its European counterparts, as the September LinkedIn hiring rate for Ireland declined more than 6% year-on-year, while the UK (11.3%) and Germany (18.1%) experienced even steeper declines.

However, the report also notes a concerning trend in entry-level recruitment in AI-augmented roles, which declined by more than 16% year-on-year in Q2 of 2026, compared to a 10.8% decline across all occupations. This decline in entry-level recruitment, particularly in software engineering and data analysis, remains partially unclear in terms of AI's specific impact.

Despite these challenges, the demand for AI skills continues to rise. LinkedIn job postings seeking AI engineering skills increased by 29% between 2019 and 2025. Among the five fastest-growing AI occupations in Ireland for 2026 are AI engineering, machine learning engineering, data annotation, analytics specialization, and data analytics.

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment, Peter Burke, welcomed the report and highlighted Ireland's swift adoption of AI, strong AI usage, and diffusion across the economy. Burke emphasized the need to stay ahead and build on this momentum to fully reap the benefits of AI, a key theme at the International AI Summit during Ireland's EU Presidency.