Irish Graduates Face AI Job Market Disruption; 20,000 ICT Jobs Lost
Irish graduates face significant challenges in the job market, with nearly half of employers reducing entry-level roles, partly due to AI. Ireland has lost 20,000 ICT jobs in 12 months, raising concerns about AI's impact and over-hiring. The government acknowledges the vulnerability of entry-level positions and is updating its AI strategy to address skill gaps.
Irish graduates are struggling to find entry-level jobs, with nearly half of Irish employers reducing such roles this year, according to IrishJobs. Many suspect AI is a factor. UCD graduate Caoimhe noted difficulty in securing HR positions, while pharmacology graduate Matt Mion stated the pharma sector is not hiring graduates, partly due to AI replacing entry-level skills.
Mion believes the education system is failing to prepare students for an AI-driven job market, where new graduates need advanced skills immediately. He emphasized the need to equip students to work with AI, warning that without these skills, degrees may become unusable.
Ireland has lost approximately 20,000 ICT jobs in the past 12 months. While some attribute this to AI, others suggest over-hiring during the pandemic is a primary cause, with cuts now being blamed on AI. Meta is cutting 20% of its Irish workforce, and redundancies are also affecting Oracle, Shein, Indeed, and Glassdoor. Workers at Covalen, a contractor for Meta, are facing redundancy after working on an AI development project they believe is being trained to replace their content moderation roles.
Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin, CWU's Head of Organising, stated that AI is already impacting the tech space, calling these redundancies a "canary in the coal mine" for the industry, especially for outsourced workers. The Department of Finance and the IMF confirm Ireland's job market is highly exposed to AI disruption. While overall employment is up 4.5% since 2023, employment in high-risk sectors for AI fell by 4.3% for workers aged 15-29.
HR consultant Mary Connaughton acknowledged job losses but noted overall unemployment remains around 5%, with workers moving to other areas. She stressed the need for Ireland to remain competitive and for future careers to be less linear, requiring adaptability and the ability to work with uncertainty. Minister Niamh Smyth acknowledged the uncertainty for young graduates and highlighted a refresh of the National AI and Digital Strategy to address skill gaps.