Ireland ranks fourth globally for AI engineering talent, report finds

IDA Ireland, Microsoft and LinkedIn published the 12th Labour Market Pulse report: Ireland ranks fourth worldwide for AI engineering talent concentration, behind Israel, Singapore and Luxembourg, and fourth for net AI talent migration. Employment stood at 2.84m in Q2 2026, with unemployment at or below 5.1% for 54 straight months.

• Ireland is 4th globally for AI engineering talent, ahead of Germany, France and the UK
• It ranks 4th for net AI talent migration and 1st in the IMF Skills Readiness Index
• LinkedIn AI-skills job postings rose 29% between 2019 and 2025
• Entry-level hiring in AI-augmented roles fell more than 16% year-on-year