Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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720. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 966 of 29 July 2025, the data and research his Department has to support the answer regarding the emergence of new jobs; whether these jobs will be equal or greater than the number of jobs lost to AI; whether the minister is aware of research which indicates AI has led to decreased graduate roles and increased labour displacement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46929/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Historically, every significant technological advance brings changes to the labour market and leads to the emergence of new types of roles. Artificial Intelligence will be no different in that regard. This is supported by a number of international and national reports.

For example, the “OECD Employment Outlook 2023: Artificial Intelligence and the Labour Market” report highlights the concept of the “reinstatement effect” which refers to the creation of new tasks and roles that emerge as a result of technological innovation. The key findings in the report includes “AI can also create new tasks, resulting in the creation of new jobs (reinstatement effect) particularly for workers with skills that are complementary to AI.” Another key finding states that “From a policy perspective, the evidence points to the need for education and training to ensure that workers have the skills to take advantage of this new technology.” The evidence presented in the report suggests that beyond expertise in specialised AI and data science skills, workers also need to have high levels of cognitive skills – such as critical thinking, problem solving, and judgement and decision making – to effectively develop and interact with AI systems.

In 2024, the Government published a series of reports “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe” which examines the potential impact Artificial Intelligence will have on the Irish economy and labour market. A key message contained in the report states “Certain tasks within people’s occupations will become susceptible to AI-assisted automation, while others will benefit from AI assistance, enhancing productivity and augmenting human capabilities. The extent to which jobs are enhanced, rather than replaced, will depend on how well the strengths of AI and humans can complement each other within each job.”

In addition, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs 2018 report also discussed historical technological shifts leading to the creation of new occupations.

The Government is taking a strategic and proactive approach to ensure the workforce is equipped to harness the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence. Through targeted investment in reskilling and upskilling initiatives, we aim to empower the workforce with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-enabled economy and to meet the demand for evolving roles.

It is still too early to determine whether the number of new jobs created by Artificial Intelligence will fully offset or exceed the number of jobs displaced, as the long-term impact depends on how quickly industries adapt, how effectively workers are reskilled, and how AI technologies evolve.

I am aware of the recent media coverage on the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence on Irish jobs. My Department has commissioned research, along with the ESRI and National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, on the potential impacts of AI on key sectors of the Irish economy.

Our ambition remains that the use of AI benefits society, enhances productivity and empowers workers. Roles and jobs may change and we are doing all we can to ensure the economy can reap these benefits and opportunities, while mitigating any negative effects.