Ireland's largest recruitment agency says job opportunities in Offaly to grow by 5% in 2026

The jobs market in Offaly is expected to see a 5% rise in new vacancies and job openings during 2026, according to a new report published by FRS Recruitment.

The 2025 Review & 2026 Trends Forecast report, produced by Ireland's largest recruitment agency, FRS Recruitment revealed recruiters are forecasting a rebound in the national jobs market this year thanks to a more settled economic outlook for businesses.

This comes after a challenging 2025 which saw a 17% decline nationwide in advertised job vacancies as employers took a cautious approach to hiring in the face of rising costs.

Another factor which contributed to the decrease in recruitment in 2025 was in relation to the geopolitical uncertainty triggered by the trade tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.

However, FRS Recruitment witnessed a strong revival in the jobs market in the final quarter of last year, and this rebound is expected to continue throughout 2026 including in Offaly.

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Speaking on the report, Lynne McCormack, General Manager of FRS Recruitment commented: "2025 was a challenging year for the Irish jobs market, with multiple headwinds creating a lot of uncertainty for companies to deal with. Despite the difficulties faced by my employers in Offaly last year, our recruiters are anticipating that the market will rebound next year."

There was an array of factors which contributed to the decline in the job market during 2025. Businesses often focussed on cost containment last year by delaying permanent hires or expanding existing roles internally.

Additionally, the latest increase in the minimum wage and the introduction of the Auto-Enrolment Pension Scheme also forced many businesses to manage staff costs last year or defer hiring plans, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.

A noticeable trend from 2025's report was the continued rise in tensions between employers and staff over return to office policies as employees are now seeking positions that offer greater work-life balance and remote working opportunities.

Caution was also exercised from the employee's perspective in 2025 as jobseekers applied in higher numbers but were more reluctant to move roles, especially where offers did not sufficiently offset cost-of-living pressures.

The report also stated that the opportunities for entry-level positions for graduates dried up significantly as employers sought to hire candidates with more experience and less requirements for training or upskilling.

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The General Manager of FRS Recruitment, Lynne McCormack, said that there are positive signs in relation to employment emerging in the market for 2026.

She explained: "With a tariff agreement now in place, there is much more trading certainty for businesses, and I would expect to see a rebound in the jobs market for 2026. In the final quarter of 2025, FRS Recruitment saw a resurgence in the number of jobs postings across the market, and I believe that trend will continue into the first half of this year."

McCormack also reflected on the employment outlook on a national level as she added: "Overall, Ireland’s economy continues to grow, and the labour market remains tight, meaning companies will need to compete for talent."

"It’s also likely we will continue to see trends around investment in AI technology and automation continue this year, as well as increased focused by employers on return to office policies."