Business success in 2026 will significantly depend on understanding how the hiring landscape is evolving and what professionals expect from employers. Across Ireland, companies must stay ahead of market trends to attract the right expertise, while professionals should be aware of how their skills are valued and where opportunities are growing.

The Robert Half 2026 Ireland Salary Guide highlights starting salary benchmarks, current hiring patterns, in-demand positions and exclusive insights from employers. Whether you are making decisions about hiring or career moves, the data will help you negotiate with confidence and act decisively.

Explore Robert Half's Salary Guide

Use the links below to explore the guide. Learn what sets our data apart.

Salary calculator

Salaries by profession

Ireland hiring outlook

The Irish labour market continues to perform strongly. Employers are expected to stay active in recruitment through 2026 across permanent, contract and project-based roles. Alongside competitive pay, organisations are focusing on progression, retention and workforce development to keep high-calibre staff.

Professional services hiring is gathering pace in 2026, with more employers planning to expand than in the previous year. Growth is visible across permanent, contract and project roles, marking a clear step up from 2025.

standard

of employers plan to make permanent hires in 2026, up from 27% last year

standard

of businesses will be expanding their contract talent in 2026, up from 22% last year

Generational differences continue to shape pay and benefit preferences. Employers are responding by tailoring policies to ensure fairness and cohesion, while retaining flexibility. In 2026, Gen Z stand out as the most demanding group.

standard

of hiring managers say Gen Z candidates have become more demanding when it comes to pay compared to last year

standard

say Gen Z candidates have also become more demanding when it comes to perks and benefits

Businesses are moving from Gen AI curiosity to capability, with most now encouraging its use for everyday productivity, while many are planning to launch internal upskilling programmes.

standard

of businesses now encourage their staff to explore Gen AI for routine tasks optimisation and enhanced productivity

standard

of businesses plan to introduce internal Gen AI upskilling programmes

Why should I trust your salary numbers?

Our starting salary projections come from a detailed, multistep process that ensures our numbers accurately reflect the marketplace. They’re based on real compensation data for job candidates our recruiters have matched with companies across Ireland.

The Salary Guide from Robert Half is the original. We’ve been publishing salary forecasts since 1950, and our guide has served as a trusted source for employers, job seekers, industry associations, government and educational institutions, and national and local media.

Salary calculator

Trends and salaries by specialisation

Get projected 2026 starting salaries and salary insights in 3 specialisations.

Finance and accounting

Technology

Administrative and business support

Hiring now or looking for a job?

Build your team with skilled talent

Looking for a job?

Frequently asked questions

The 2026 Salary Guide provides hiring managers and job seekers with compensation trends and projected starting salaries across 3 professional fields. It supports employers with recruitment, retention and workforce planning while helping job candidates with career planning and pay negotiation.

What is the Robert Half Salary Guide?

Our salary projections use real compensation data from Robert Half placements. We provide three salary percentiles because pay varies based on a candidate’s skills, experience and qualifications, and other factors.

How accurate is the Robert Half Salary Guide?

Employers need salary guides to set pay that’s competitive with what other companies are offering. Job seekers use them to negotiate fair compensation based on their skills and experience.

Why should I use a salary guide? Why are salary guides important?

Employers need salary guides to set pay that’s competitive with what other companies are offering. Job seekers use them to negotiate fair compensation based on their skills and experience.

No. Salaries listed in the guide represent starting salaries only — pay for someone new to the role. They do not include bonuses or annual merit increases.

Do salaries in the Robert Half Salary Guide include bonuses or annual merit increases?

No. Salaries listed in the guide represent starting salaries only — pay for someone new to the role. They do not include bonuses or annual merit increases.

Explore a world of salary and hiring insights

The salaries listed in the Salary Guide from Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on compensation for professionals observed by Robert Half across Dublin and Greater Dublin. The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognising that professionals join companies at varied experience levels. Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on an online survey developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. During August 2025 Robert Half commissioned research amongst 200 hiring managers from large and medium sized businesses across Dublin and Greater Dublin using an online data collection methodology. The respondents were evenly split to represent hiring managers in finance and accounting, IT and tech, and admin and business support.