A NEW report from Morgan McKinley Quarterly Employment Monitor has shown that Irish employers have been implementing ‘quiet redundancies’ in the workplace, with a significant impact on the Irish job market overall.
The so-called stealth cuts involve businesses not renewing contracts, ‘restructuring’ teams so that certain workers are laid off instead of redistributed, and what are known as ‘discreet workforce adjustments’, which do not at first appear in official Government unemployemnt and redundancy figures.
The study shows that this is likely down to a combination of global economic uncertainty caused by conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, growing industry reliance on AI and market fears around the implementation of US tariffs.
There was a positive start to the year, with professional job opportunities in the first quarter of 2025 increasing by 2% year-on-year and by 7% quarter-on-quarter. Professional job seekers rose by 16% compared to the previous year, but decreased by 4% from the final quarter of 2024.
This initial optimism has been tested by candidate overreliance on AI tools, however, with employers showing more of a reulctance to stick with candidates who use the tecnhology openly. Trayc Keevans, Global FDI Director at Morgan McKinley, said of the trend: “Employers have raised concerns that AI-generated applications do not always accurately reflect the individuals encountered at interview.
“Reports of mismatches between CV content and candidate performance are becoming more common, placing greater pressure on screening processes and the assessment of authenticity.”
Despite all this, Morgan McKinley ultimately reports that its data is indicative of renewed hiring confidence, particularly among technology, financial services, and construction sectors.
“That said, employers are navigating a complex matrix of influences – from economic headwinds and evolving global regulation to the accelerating role of AI and shifting expectations around workplace culture.”
See More: AI, Irish Job Market, Morgan McKinley, US Tariffs
