1079. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the measures that will be implemented to safeguard employment across all sectors of the economy due to the period of uncertainty that he recently referred to following the substantial investment in and or expansion of in the AI industry. [63955/26]

The Department is closely monitoring employment and sectoral trends across the economy. I would highlight the record levels of employment in our economy as confirmed by the latest official labour market data from the CSO. In Q2 2026, there were a record number of persons at work at 2.84 million – up 21,200 in the year, an annual increase of 0.8%. We also saw that unemployment remained low in August at 5.0%– unchanged from July – and effectively unchanged over the past year.

While economic uncertainty has been elevated across several fronts over the past year, the Irish labour market has remained robust with record rates of activity and thousands of jobs created.

In relation to AI, my Department has published a number of relevant pieces I can cite including research from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) published last month – titled: “The Irish Labour Market and AI in 2026 see: (www.egfsn.ie/latest-news/2026/the-irish-labour-market-and-ai-in-2026/).

This work notes a marked rise in AI usage across the economy but with an uneven pace of adoption across enterprises and individuals. At the same time, the work highlights how our labour market is a global front runner in respect of AI both in terms of demand and supply. This research followed another EGFSN report published last year, also on AI and the labour market – see: www.egfsn.ie/media/2y5derks/egfsn-skills-insight-note-2025-2-_how-ai-is-transforming-the-irish-labour-market-final-for-website.pdf.

I would also point to several other projects underway within my department that will be informative in respective of AI and the labour market.

The EGFSN is funding a project on ‘Skills for Digital Specialists 2030’. I expect that this report will be published in the coming weeks and this will identify skills needs and gaps for ICT/digital specialists, including AI.

The EGFSN is also co-funding a new ‘Working in Ireland Survey’ on the Irish labour market being done by UCD. Research from this extensive, all-island study will be available this month will include work on AI and the labour market.

I am also pleased to note a series of successful and sizable investment indicatives this year which will help counter the uncertainty and deliver growth and employment.

Balanced economic development is a key focus this Department’s work and is central to our enterprise development agencies. In this regard, IDA Ireland is continuing its strong commitment to regional development as one of four key strategic objectives of its 2025–2029 strategy, "Adapt Intelligently". This ambitious strategy aims to secure 550 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects outside Dublin, accounting for 55% of the 1,000 investments targeted over that period.

Through Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices, IDA Ireland and regional enterprise initiatives, significant supports are being provided to indigenous businesses, start-ups, innovators and foreign direct investment right across this economy.

Enterprise Ireland for example is actively advancing enterprise development and investment through a combination of measures such as direct company supports, start-up development, innovation funding and regional enterprise initiatives.

Enterprise Ireland is also nurturing entrepreneurship through targeted supports for early-stage and high-growth companies.

In this time of uncertainty, it is important to re-state the work our agencies are doing. In 2025, Enterprise Ireland supported R&D investment across its client base, approving 123 projects valued at €100,000 or more. IDA Ireland supported 80 RD&I investments by its clients, that had a total value of €2.5 billion.

My Department also announced an additional €23m in EU and exchequer funding towards our four European Digital Innovation Hubs in December 2025. These Hubs play an important role as “one-stop shops” providing access to technical expertise in digital transformation and AI, along with testing facilities, and training – all free or at a significantly reduced cost for SMEs.

To reiterate, my Department, through Enterprise Ireland (EI) and IDA Ireland, continues to provide a comprehensive suite of research and innovation supports to strengthen our innovation and economic capacity within domestic and foreign-owned companies operating across all sectors of the economy.

More generally, in relation to AI and the technology sector, there has been a period of significant adjustment in recent years following an exceptional period of expansion during and after the pandemic. Where layoffs have occurred, these have generally formed part of wider global restructuring programmes rather than reflecting any Ireland-specific weakness. Importantly, many of the skills affected are highly transferable and remain in demand across the wider economy. Demand continues to be strong in areas such as software engineering, cybersecurity, AI, data analytics and electronic engineering, and Ireland continues to face skills shortages in a number of these fields.

While advances in AI are transforming workplaces globally, the Government's current focus is on ensuring workers and businesses are equipped to adapt to technological change through investment in education, training, lifelong learning and digital skills. The evidence to date indicates that AI is creating significant opportunities alongside challenges, and Ireland is well positioned to benefit from that transition.