Just 38pc of businesses expect to increase employees in 2026, which is well down on 2025 figures
Fergal O’Brien, the executive director of lobbying and influence at Ibec
Only a minority of Irish private sector employers expect to add jobs this year, well down on expectations at the start of 2025.
Employers’ group Ibec’s annual CEO sentiment survey shows just 38pc of businesses expect to increase headcount this year. That’s well down on the 46pc that came into 2025 expecting to hire and down on the 42pc of businesses that did actually increase staff numbers last year.
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