Irish employers believe AI Adoption will result in more jobs, not less

51% of employers report AI introduction will create more roles than it replaces.
35% of Irish employers report using AI, including generative AI and machine learning.
67% predict AI will increase overall business performance

More than half of Irish employers report headcounts will likely increase as a result of AI adoption over the next two years, compared to just 20% who expect a decrease, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. Over a third (35%) of Irish employers report already adopting AI, including generative AI and machine learning, into their business processes.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 420 employers across Ireland. It asks whether employers intend to increase or decrease the size of their workforce over the coming quarter, July to September. In Q3, it also surveyed employer attitudes to AI and expected impact on headcounts.

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Two-thirds of employers surveyed (67%) reveal they expect AI to increase business performance, with a majority saying the technology will positively impact upskilling, reskilling and onboarding processes. Many of the leading companies investing in AI are based in Ireland, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Accenture, and others.

The Energy & Utilities sector is the most optimistic about AI-enhanced headcounts, with 65% of businesses stating they expect AI to result in more jobs, with just 13% forecasting a decrease in employee numbers. Nearly half (48%) of the sector have currently adopted AI, with 64% predicting an increase in overall business performance, and 84% anticipating a positive impact on upskilling and reskilling.

Dublin reports the highest level of AI adoption at 41% – the highest level in any region. This is concentrated in larger businesses with more than 1000-4999 employees (63%), which are twice as likely to have adopted AI as small businesses with 10-to-49 employees. (29%). Just over half the Capital’s employers (51%) anticipate AI will increase headcounts, against just 21% who say headcounts will decrease.

Ireland as a country is well position with regarding to AI talent pools and according to the IDA (Irish Development Agency) Ireland’s AI expertise compares extremely well to many other developed countries and Ireland was also the first country in the world to develop an industry-driven nationwide Postgraduate MSc in Artificial Intelligence. There is a strong AI focus in universities in Ireland with many examples of successful campus spin offs in the AI tech space.

Many companies with operations in Ireland have centres of excellence in AI-related areas like data analytics, cloud computing and big data. Many of the leading AI pioneer companies are based in Ireland including Accenture, Siemens, Zalando, SAP, HubSpot, Deutsche Bank, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, Fidelity Investments, Ericsson, Intel, Dell EMC, Microsoft, Mastercard, Stryker, Boston Scientific, Qualcomm, AMD, Analog Devices, GM, and Valeo.