Up significantly from last year’s research, companies are struggling to find the tech employees needed to drive their businesses forward.

EY Ireland has published the results of its fifth annual Tech Leaders Outlook Survey, which explores how Ireland’s technology leaders are navigating challenges and opportunities in the sector. What was discovered is that the AI skills gap and the shortage of appropriately skilled personnel are significant barriers  to success at present. 

During the months of March and April, EY Ireland collected data from 150 senior technology leaders across Ireland, including individuals with strategic decision-making accountability and technology or data responsibilities, as well as those in innovation or transformation leadership roles. Sectors included government, infrastructure, consumer, health, industrial, energy, telecommunications and technology.

The research found that the skills shortage in Ireland has deepened significantly since last year, with the number of technology leaders citing a shortage of skilled employees as the most significant barrier to executing their agenda, up from 24pc last year to 36pc in 2026.

In 2025, 6pc of leaders who contributed to the research stated internal capacity was a concern when aiming to drive change, compared to today, where that same concern is held by 16pc of participants. This is occurring in a landscape where almost 20pc of respondents are prioritising succession planning and leadership development.  

AI impact

EY Ireland’s report also indicated a lack of certainty among contributors regarding the impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace. 6pc of participants said that they believe AI adoption will reduce recruitment, while only 3pc said it will drive an increase; 84pc are of the opinion that there will be no impact on recruitment levels at all. 

This is despite 82pc of respondents saying that they are currently investing in AI, a figure that is up from 44pc since last year. Almost 40pc have an AI strategy and a further 45pc are exploring AI’s possibilities, while many organisations are investing  in AI tools, solutions and decision-making.

Though just one in five said that they have yet to see meaningful value emerge from the use of AI, one in five also said that an inability to adopt AI fast enough is a key concern, up from 12pc in 2025.

Commenting on the report, Ronan Walsh, the head of technology consulting at EY Ireland, said: “While there has been much recent discussion on job displacement in tech, our research finds that the single most significant barrier to Irish technology leaders executing their agendas right now is the shortage of skilled employees to implement new technologies or progress complex transformation programmes.

“This points to a more nuanced reality that while AI adoption is accelerating, most organisations are struggling to find the talent they need to make AI work in practice. AI specialists are in short supply and training cannot keep pace.

“In many cases, technology leaders are being asked to work miracles, balancing rising expectations with limited capacity and being more creative than ever in how they allocate resources, while maintaining a clear focus on value and return on investment.”

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