This article explores why executive hiring in Ireland has become so difficult despite the country’s economic success. It covers the intense competition from multinationals, a housing crisis deterring international candidates, the Irish diaspora leaving faster than returning, and new EU board diversity requirements. The article explains what organisations should look for in an executive search firm and why Stanton Chase Dublin, with its local expertise and global network, is well positioned to help.
Ireland’s executive talent market is one of the most competitive in Europe, and it is only getting tighter.
Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the Eurozone. That single fact explains why nine of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies, the European headquarters of Google, Meta, Amazon, LinkedIn, and Microsoft, and hundreds of other multinationals have established operations here. It also explains why finding executive talent in Ireland has become so competitive, and why organisations need executive search partners who understand both the local market and how to attract candidates from abroad.
How Multinational Concentration Shapes the Executive Search Market in Ireland
The scale of foreign investment in Ireland is extraordinary. According to AmCham Ireland, US companies alone directly employ 245,000 people, representing 8.75% of total employment and contributing more than €40 billion annually to the economy. American enterprises account for 70% of foreign direct investment jobs and contributed to Ireland’s €39 billion in corporation tax receipts in 2024.
All of these companies need leaders, and they are competing for the same limited pool. Pharmaceutical exports reached €99.9 billion in 2024, accounting for 45% of total goods exports according to the Central Statistics Office, and companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Novartis, and Eli Lilly all need executives who understand both global pharma operations and Irish regulatory requirements. In technology, Dublin’s Silicon Docks hosts the European headquarters of the world’s largest tech companies, each drawing from the same talent base. Financial services faces particular pressure it could face an annual shortfall of up to 4,300 qualified graduates by 2027, with the greatest gaps in ESG and sustainable finance, data analytics, cybersecurity, and risk and compliance.
The good news is that Ireland produces highly educated graduates to fill many of these roles across the aforementioned sectors. In fact, the country leads the European Union in STEM graduates per capita at 40.1 per 1,000 people, and tertiary attainment among 30 to 34 year olds stands at 64%, second in the EU. But at the executive level, demand still outstrips supply. The American Chamber of Commerce survey found that 63% of members identified a skilled talent pool as Ireland’s main competitive advantage, yet 64% also reported skills gaps in their organisations.
Executive Recruitment Beyond the Multinationals: Irish Family Businesses
Multinationals dominate headlines, but they are not the whole Irish story. Family businesses make up 70% of private firms in Ireland, contribute more than half of national GDP, and employ over 938,000 people, generating approximately €19 billion annually in tax revenues.
These companies have different leadership needs. Where a multinational subsidiary might seek an executive who can implement global strategy locally, a family business needs someone who understands long term ownership thinking and can work through intergenerational relationships. And unlike multinationals that can relocate when conditions change, family businesses are rooted in their communities. They need executives who are committed to Ireland for the long haul, not candidates viewing Dublin as a stepping stone to a bigger role elsewhere.
Why Hiring Executives in Ireland Has Become More Difficult
Finding the right leaders for either type of organisation has become harder in recent years, for three related reasons.
The housing crisis is the most immediate obstacle. Ibec has described it as the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, and the Department of Finance projects that the crisis will persist for at least another 14 years. Ninety-eight percent of AmCham members report that accommodation availability presents challenges for their staff. For executive search, this means international candidates who might otherwise relocate are deterred before discussions even begin.
Additionally, the Irish diaspora, which should be a natural source of leadership talent, is not returning in the numbers many hoped. Between April 2024 and April 2025, 35,000 Irish citizens emigrated while only 31,500 returned, marking the third consecutive year where departures outweighed returns. These are people with international experience who understand Irish business culture, exactly the profile many organisations seek. But attracting them home means overcoming the housing obstacle and often matching compensation packages from places such as London, New York, or Singapore.
Economic uncertainty also makes the decision to relocate even harder. The OECD Economic Survey of Ireland notes that while the domestic economy remains strong, with employment at record levels of 2.8 million in 2025, growth remains vulnerable to global trade fragmentation and shifting US policies. The PwC CEO Survey 2026 reflects this unease: only 26% of Irish CEOs are now extremely or very confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months, down from 43% in 2025. Candidates considering a move to Ireland are weighing these risks.
New Pressures on Boards and Leadership
These hiring challenges arrive at a moment when Irish boards face new pressures of their own. The European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025 came into force on 30 May 2025, requiring listed companies to have at least 40% of non-executive director positions held by the underrepresented sex by 30 June 2026. Companies that fail to meet this target must adjust their selection processes and report annually to the Minister, with non-compliant companies publicly named from December 2027.
Meeting these requirements will not be straightforward. Companies need to identify board candidates with the right experience and credentials, candidates who may not be actively seeking board roles and who may be fielding approaches from multiple organisations facing the same deadline. The regulations will increase demand for board-level search at a time when qualified candidates are already rare.
What to Look for in an Executive Search Firm in Ireland
All of this points to what organisations should seek in an executive search partner. The Irish market is small and interconnected: reputation matters enormously, and a search firm needs established relationships within the local business community. But because local supply cannot meet demand at senior levels, a search firm also needs global reach to identify candidates in New York, London, Singapore, or Sydney who might be persuaded to relocate or return.
Having worked exclusively in Ireland for the past six years with both indigenous Irish companies and international organisations, I have seen these requirements firsthand. Stanton Chase combines local presence with global reach through more than 70 offices across 45 countries. We understand the regulatory pressures facing financial services, the product development cycles in pharmaceuticals, and the succession planning challenges confronting family businesses. And if the right candidate is not in Ireland, we can find them.
About the Author
Linda Roberts Power is a Partner at Stanton Chase Dublin, where she leads the firm’s executive search and leadership advisory services across Ireland. She brings more than nineteen years of executive search experience to her role, having spent fifteen years at another leading global executive search firm where she played a central part in building and developing their Irish office. For the past six years, she has worked exclusively in the Irish market, serving both indigenous Irish companies and international organisations across all sizes and ownership models. Her expertise spans C-suite and board level appointments in technology, industrial, and consumer sectors, with a particular focus on finance, sales, operations, and human resources functions. Before moving into executive search, Linda spent a decade in senior HR roles at Sainsbury’s and Times Newspapers, and she holds degrees from Cambridge, Leicester, and Westminster universities.
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