Nearly half of Irish employers have reduced the number of entry and graduate-level roles available in their organisation this year, recruitment platform IrishJobs has said, as businesses adopted a more \u201ctargeted\u201d approach to hiring amid rising costs. <\/p>\n
The company, which surveyed 500 human resources professionals and almost 1,000 jobseekers in Ireland for its latest hiring trends report, also said more than a quarter of firms are now recruiting for highly specialised roles in artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) and machine learning. <\/p>\n More than 80 per cent of recruiters told IrishJobs that recruitment has become more strategic and focused on specific roles. <\/p>\n With labour costs rising, companies are moving to a \u201cmore targeted model of talent acquisition\u201d, the platform said, with 47 per cent of recruiters saying they have cut the number of graduate and entry-level roles available. <\/p>\n However, the Irish economy continued to add jobs despite the global economic headwinds, said Julius Probst, labour economist at IrishJobs\u2019 parent firm, StepStone Group Ireland. <\/p>\n \u201cDespite a major energy shock and elevated geopolitical uncertainty, economic indicators show that the Irish economy is navigating these challenges well and continues to experience domestic growth,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThe hiring outlook remains broadly positive with employers expected to face continuing high levels of competition for talent and strong upward pressure on wage growth.\u201d <\/p>\n While the labour market remains \u201cfundamentally resilient\u201d, there are signs of retrenchment and the adoption of a more strategic approach to hiring, said Christopher Paye, Ireland country director for StepStone. <\/p>\n \u201cAs hiring becomes more selective, our findings show that employers are prioritising targeted capability-building in specialised functions such as AI and cybersecurity, rather than broad-based expansion,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n