Sinead Wallace, director and head of executive search and advisory at BDO Ireland, acknowledges that Ireland is often recognised globally as a leader in talent attraction, and rightly so. "We’ve built a strong reputation thanks to a combination of factors: a highly educated workforce, a business-friendly environment, and our position as a gateway to Europe for multinational companies."
"However, the paradox is that while we’re attracting talent, we’re also facing acute skill shortages particularly in areas like technology, healthcare, construction, and green energy because demand is outpacing local supply. Global competition, housing challenges, and a disconnect between education and industry needs are making it harder to fill roles. So while we’re attracting talent, we need to focus more on developing and retaining it."
Ireland needs to retain talent and bridge skills gaps, so we need more joined-up thinking at policy level
That means investing in education and lifelong learning, supporting internal mobility within organisations, and making it easier for people to reskill mid-career. We also need to address practical barriers like housing and childcare that impact talent retention.
There’s a growing awareness among Irish employers of the importance of reskilling and internal mobility, but in many cases, external hiring is still the default.
Some companies are doing it well, investing in internal talent training and upskilling programmes and leadership development. The pace of change in areas like AI, sustainability, and digital transformation means we need to move faster. Building internal capability isn’t just good for retention, it’s essential for long-term competitiveness.