67% of Irish employers admit that they aren’t adequately investing in their staff’s personal development.

This comes as over half of Irish professionals reveal they feel more pressure to upskill now, compared to 12 months ago.

Key skills shortages have continued into 2025 in Ireland, with many key sectors like technology, business, finance and construction struggling to find appropriately skilled staff.

New research from talent solutions expert Robert Walters highlights the increasing issue of employer underinvestment in this area.

Suzanne Feeney, Country Manager at Robert Walters Ireland says: “A combination of tightening budgets, as well as emerging technologies and AI has catapulted Ireland towards an ever-increasing skills shortage in many of its key sectors.

“The only way out is a concerted effort to upskill, train and develop professionals across industries, something which requires the cooperation of all employers.”

Half (51%) of Irish professionals report not being aware of any personal development opportunities currently offered by their employer.

Despite the most common development opportunities being skills-based courses, only a fifth of professionals state their current employer offers them.

When asked about the factors stopping them from allocating more resources towards training or upskilling – 47% of Irish employers stated organisation-wide cost cuts.

A further 20% said they lacked the time to implement such programs, with 19% referencing uncertainties over the return on investment and 14% struggling to find suitable courses/trainers.

Feeney adds: “When economic conditions are trickier, things like upskilling and training programmes are often the first areas to get dialed back.

“Many organisations fail to see them as essential, more concerned that the staff they do invest in will leave before it makes a difference to business performance and profitability.”

Despite over half (51%) of junior professionals stating they’d be more likely to accept a job offer if it came with a provision of personal development funding – according to Robert Walters benefits reporting only a third (34%) state they receive it at their current job.

Similarly, 45% of professionals under 30 say they “rarely” get the chance to develop new skills in their current position.

Feeneyadds: “It seems that the professionals most at risk of employers tightening their training and development budgets are those who would receive the greatest benefit.

“The skills you develop in the initial years of your professional career provide the foundation for the experience you build throughout your career.

“Not having adequate access to upskilling opportunities now is setting these professionals up for career stagnation.”

Within professional services, job advertisements calling for green technology (+24%) and AI (+78%) have increased compared with last year.

Soft skills like emotional intelligence (+26%), creative and innovative thinking (55%) and adaptability (+42%) have also appeared more in listings in Ireland over the past year – especially for leadership and management positions.

“While it’s clear to see that certain skills are becoming more common amongst professionals; the pace at which this is happening is being dwarfed by the rising demand,” Feeney continued.

“Due to that pace, skills that were seen as ‘nice to haves’ 1-2 years ago, have now turned into essential indicators of a professional’s ability.”

Further findings from the poll reveal a spiked demand for coaching and mentorship opportunities – with the majority (41%) of professionals stating it’s the personal development initiative they’d find most useful.

Despite this, only 11% say it's currently offered by their employer.

Other initiatives mentioned were skills courses (26%), accredited short courses (25%) and tuition contributions (8%).

“Offering relevant courses is a great place to start and will directly address certain technical skills shortages, Feeney said.

“However, mentorship and coaching interventions don’t only give professionals a chance to upskill, knowledge share and stimulate career growth – they also help improve team dynamics and boost employee confidence.

“Employers can consider developing internal mentorship programs or planning external coaching sessions, just doing more within this space will help employers to establish a culture of learning within their organisation, something which is crucial to address skills gaps for years to come.”