Executive Summary
Irish hiring has fallen less than anywhere else in Europe this year. In August, hiring in Ireland was 9.7% lower than a year earlier. That was the smallest fall of the 12 markets LinkedIn tracks across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, and well ahead of the European average of -13.2%. Holding up is the right description. Irish hiring has been below last year's level in every month of 2026, and it is around 18% below its 2016 level. Across the region, hiring fell year on year in every month too, by 15.3% on average in August. The path wasn't smooth. Ireland started the year third in the region, slipped to fifth in April, when uncertainty over the Iran war hit hiring across the region, and was first in July and August. It was also the only market where entry-level hiring held up better than hiring overall.
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