DUBLIN, Feb 18 (Reuters) – Early evidence suggests artificial intelligence is weakening employment opportunities in some parts of Ireland’s technology-focused economy, particularly for young graduates, research by Ireland’s finance department found.
Ireland’s strong labour market is relatively more exposed to AI than the average advanced economy given a high concentration of jobs in so-called knowledge-intensive sectors such as tech, science and financial services, the finance department said.
Employment in categories at risk of AI disruption, which include tech and financial services, grew at around 4% between 2023 and 2025, compared with 4.5% among medium-risk companies, and 6.25% in the low-risk category.
Employment among 15 to 29 year-olds in the “at risk” cohort fell by 1% over that period and by 20% among technology firms alone, even as employment among tech workers aged 30 to 59 grew 12% during that period.
The research also found that in sectors with lower AI exposure, employment growth among younger workers outpaced that of older workers.
While the researchers said that indicated the results cannot be explained by a downturn among younger workers more broadly, they also said it may be premature to attribute the changes solely to AI-driven substitution effects.
Finance Minister Simon Harris said the analysis suggests Ireland may be at the frontier of AI labour market changes and that the government must invest in up-skilling and re-skilling workers in exposed sectors.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)