Salary, work-life balance, security key drivers for job seekers – survey
Irish professionals are becoming increasingly selective about their career choices with top motivators being salary, work-life balance, and job security, according to the Stelfox Salary Guide 2026.
Stelfox reported that there are five generations active in the workforce (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z), each with their own expectations around company values, expectations and working styles. One common feature across demographics was the importance of a positive recruitment experience. Some 49% of job seekers in tech said they had turned down a role for this reason.
Despite the scrapping of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by Google, Meta, Amazon and Apple, they remain popular with employers – almost half of which (47%) said DEI was helping them expand their talent pool.
“Younger employees expect rapid career development and access to mentoring, while more experienced staff are adapting to new technologies and flexible structures. Smart employers are learning to bridge these worlds,” said Jennifer Dillon, managing director of Stelfox.
The report said that in order to stay competitive, companies should to foster innovation, invest in continuous learning, and focus on sustainability as a workforce priority.
With regard to AI, half of Irish companies said it would directly enhance productivity, an 18% increase on last year. Some 8% of tech employers surveyed had gone a step further, adopting an AI-first strategy by integrating it across every division.
However, Stelfox cautioned that 80% of employees are already using free AI tools without enterprise-level security controls, highlighting the growing need for governance, training, and safe implementation.
The Key barriers to wider AI adoption included limited access to expertise; high costs and uncertainty around implementation; lack of policies and workforce readiness; and insufficient training.
Dillon said: “AI has moved from buzzword to business essential. What’s remarkable is not just how quickly Irish companies are adopting it, but how deeply it’s reshaping the skills market. Ireland’s combination of a strong tech ecosystem, skilled workforce and supportive policy environment, puts us in a leading position to harness AI’s full potential”.
More than one in five professionals said they were currently seeking new opportunities, with pay remaining the leading driver of career change at 51%, work-life balance scoring 31% and job security at 29%.
“Salary still matters most – especially against the backdrop of rising living costs – but flexibility and purpose are catching up fast. Employers who can align competitive pay with meaningful work and genuine balance will have the edge,” said Dillon.
Despite a series of high-profile return-to-office initiatives, the recruitment experts contend that employees remain resistant to losing flexibility. Some 92% of employees would leave their current role for one offering greater flexibility.
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