Artificial intelligence (AI) is continuing to reshape the Irish workplace, with 47 per cent of workers here saying the technology is making them consider new career paths, a new survey has found.
That was a sharp jump from 2025, when 34 per cent said they were considering new careers.
The latest Microsoft Ireland Work Trend Index also showed 75 per cent thought people with broad skills would become more valuable in the future, while 65 per cent said they expected less emphasis on fixed roles and greater demand for flexible skills.
The index showed that almost half of workers changed employer in the past year, a rise of 10 percentage points on last year and up from 19 per cent in 2023.
The importance of AI in the jobs market is increasing, with 65 per cent saying AI skills are essential to compete. That figure was 50 per cent in 2025. Some 61 per cent said AI skills would support their career progression.
“People are skilling up in certain areas, and if the companies aren’t evolving them, moving them and giving them the opportunities, they’re not afraid to move. Years ago, we wouldn’t have seen that as much, people would have bided their time a little bit more, whereas now they are more willing to move,” said Microsoft Ireland’s general manager Catherine Doyle.
“People are being more brave now because rather than a job being functionally performed, it’s now become more like a set of skills you bring. So it’s quite adaptable to different industries and different types of work.”
However, many organisations are struggling to provide the tools, training, leadership and governance needed.
Engagement with AI at work growing, survey finds
Although 63 per cent said they use AI tools at work, only 40 per cent said they have received enough AI training and guidance, and 44 per cent said their employer provides the AI tools they need. Fewer than half said leadership expectations around AI use are clear, with only 51 per cent saying their organisation had given them clear rules about what data could be used with AI tools.
That leaves a gap for so-called shadow AI to creep into the workplace, opening organisations up to security and compliance risks. Some 47 per cent of workers said they would use publicly available AI tools in the absence of an employer-provided alternative.
“There’s still a bit of a lack of knowledge from some individuals in terms of how to use AI and when to keep it within the boundaries of your organisation and when not to,” said Doyle. “What we have found quite a bit in the market is where tools weren’t provided, people had bought them themselves, which means you end up with company data in a tool that isn’t governed by company policy.”
Although workers see the potential for AI to ease pressure, with a third saying AI could reduce their workload or stress, allowing them to focus on more higher-value work, organisations will have to change to ensure the benefits of AI do not get absorbed into existing workloads, the survey found.
“Employers now need to ensure they have the vision, the foresight, the strategy and the plan to actually start bringing it into their organisation and making those changes,” said Doyle. “That’s really the big finding for us in this survey – workers are frustrated with the companies. Lots of times it used to be the other way around.”
AI could also provide an opportunity for Ireland as a whole, with 76 per cent believing the technology could boost the economy here.