This guide emphasises that financial incentives alone no longer suffice to attract top talent, while flexible working arrangements have become an essential part of the offering.

According to Cpl, employees are prioritising career development and meaningful work, with many professionals considering learning opportunities as crucial to their career decisions. Over 80 percent of employers plant to implement salary increases averaging 3.4 percent in 2025, indicating that pay remains a central element of talent strategies.

Áine Fanning, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Cpl, explained that “guidance like this is key as we continue to work in a rapidly transforming environment”. Furthermore, she highlighted the growing preference for hybrid or remote work among Irish employees as Cpl’s research established that 60 percent of candidates would turn down a new job if it didn’t meet their hybrid working needs.

“However, the dynamic is shifting as we are beginning to see a decrease in fully remote job postings but also in hybrid”, Fanning noted. “The future of work in Ireland will require a thoughtful balance to ensure that operational needs align with the flexibility employees value”, she added.

The latest figures from hiring platforms such as Indeed and IrishJobs show a rise in the proportion of remote or hybrid job postings, with the share of hybrid vacancies remaining stable for the second consecutive year. On the other hand, the proportion of fully remote vacancies on IrishJobs has fallen by almost 80 percent since the third quarter of 2022.