Minister’s Claim of AI Job Growth Rates
Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke recently asserted that Ireland is generating artificial intelligence roles at two to three times the pace of peer countries. In the Irish Sun on 27 October, the minister cited research from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) to support his stance on the nation’s standing in the global labor market.
However, an analysis of the data reveals that the claim lacks a direct statistical basis. The figures relied upon by the Department of Enterprise do not measure job creation, but rather the frequency of AI-related keywords in recruitment advertisements.
Indeed Job Listings Track AI Terms Rather than New Positions
The core of the minister’s argument rests on a chart from the EGFSN, which uses data from the recruitment website Indeed. This chart tracks the share of job listings that reference AI terms—such as machine learning or data science—rather than tracking the actual number of new positions created.
According to the data, roughly 12% of Irish job listings on LinkedIn referenced AI terms by the final quarter of 2025, a notable increase from the 4–6% range seen between 2019 and 2023. While this confirms that AI is becoming a more prominent requirement in recruitment advertising, it does not confirm the net growth of AI-specific jobs.
Indeed’s own documentation notes that job postings do not equate to job creation. Employers often advertise for replacements when staff leave, meaning a job description update to include AI skills does not necessarily represent a new, additional role in the economy.
FactCheck: Peter Burke says Ireland is generating AI jobs two to three times faster than peer countries. The figures measure the share of job adverts mentioning AI — they don’t establish that rate of job creation. Our verdict: FALSE. https://t.co/Dc485a5fHF
Comparing Growth Rates Across International Markets
The claim that Ireland is outpacing other countries by a factor of three is further complicated by the metrics of growth. While Ireland held a higher overall share of AI-related job postings, other nations recorded faster percentage growth during the same period.
Between the final quarters of 2024 and 2025, Ireland’s share of AI job postings on Indeed grew by approximately 86.2%. In contrast, the United Kingdom saw its share of AI-referenced postings rise by 98.8% over the same timeframe.
Data from the 2026 AI Jobs Barometer by PricewaterhouseCoopers provides additional context. That report shows Irish adverts requiring AI skills grew from approximately 16,000 in 2024 to 29,000 in 2025—an increase of 81%. Similar data for the UK showed an increase from 112,000 to 180,000, or roughly 61%. Based on these figures, Ireland’s growth rate is approximately 1.3 times that of the UK, falling short of the minister’s stated estimate.
Workplace Integration of AI Technology
While the specific claim regarding the rate of job creation remains unsupported by the available figures, there is evidence of significant AI integration within the Irish workforce. A survey from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) found that 42% of internet users aged 16 and over had used AI in the three months prior to the study. Among those users, approximately half reported using the technology for work-related purposes.
The Department of Enterprise has maintained its position on the strength of the Irish AI market but has not provided a calculation to bridge the gap between recruitment advertising trends and the claimed rate of net job creation.
Questions Regarding AI Employment Data
How does Ireland’s AI job growth compare to the United Kingdom? While Ireland maintained a higher overall share of AI-related job advertisements, the United Kingdom recorded a faster percentage growth in those postings between the end of 2024 and 2025. Data from PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests Ireland’s growth in AI-related listings is closer to 1.3 times the UK rate, rather than the two to three times claimed by the government.
What data did the Department of Enterprise use to support the minister’s claim? The department relied on a cross-section of data, including a study from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and internal departmental analysis. This analysis primarily focused on the proportion of recruitment advertisements that mentioned AI-related terms on platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn.
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