173. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether he has considered the findings of recent National Youth Council of Ireland's research highlighting concerns regarding AI-driven job displacement; whether he will examine the case for a structured National AI Workforce Transition Programme to proactively support affected workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45506/26]

I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy, including the recommendations relating to job displacement and supports for affected workers.

Government policy, including measures to support workers to navigate and mitigate the impacts of potential job displacement, is clearly set out in the recently published National Digital & AI Strategy, Digital Ireland –Connecting our People, Securing our Future.

Central to Digital Ireland is a commitment to support workers in this transition by ensuring access to fit-for-purpose and high-quality upskilling and reskilling opportunities.

My colleague James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation is leading on a range of initiatives. Minister Lawless recently held the first National Skills Roundtable, marking the beginning of a national programme of high-level engagements focused on ensuring Ireland has the right skills for a rapidly changing economy. This will include a series of sector-specific meetings with employers and industry representative bodies to gain deeper insight into priority skills needs.

Since Digital Ireland was published in February, a new online platform for AI skills has been launched. AIready.ie will support early inclusive skills development, an approach strongly reinforced by ESRI and Central Bank research on AI, skills and labour market disruption.

SOLAS and the educational training boards, ETBs, have developed short flexible courses, including micro-qualifications focused on Al awareness, applied skills and career transition opportunities. Many courses are free or heavily subsidised through the Springboard+ programme.

Further deliverables include a nationwide Digital and AI skilling campaign and a Roadmap for Technology Skills of the Future. A new National Skills Observatory will also be established to provide data and insights on labour market trends and skills needs.

Under the EU AI Act, providers and deployers of AI systems (e.g. companies and public bodies) must ensure that their employees, contractors and other relevant individuals have a sufficient level of AI literacy. To this end, my Department worked with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for AI to develop an online AI literacy training course “AI for You: Introduction to AI and the EU AI Act”. This course is available free of cost to all citizens and enterprises and is designed to introduce the fundamentals of AI in an accessible way.

Finally, Ireland has a robust legislative framework in place which provides important safeguards for employees who may be impacted by redundancy. This includes:

• The right to a statutory redundancy payment for eligible employees with more than 2 years’ service with their employer.

• Entitlement to a certain level of minimum notice prior to dismissal.

• Protection against unfair dismissals for employees with more than 1 year’s service with their employer.

• Enhanced protections where collective redundancies are proposed, including a 30-day information and consultation process with the employees’ representatives. The consultation should include the possibility of avoiding the proposed redundancies, reducing the number of employees effected or mitigating their consequences.

• Recourse to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) where an employee believes their employment rights have been breached.