{"id":345296,"date":"2026-02-19T12:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/345296\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:16:08","slug":"how-to-ai-proof-your-career-to-ensure-employment-longevity-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/345296\/","title":{"rendered":"How to AI-proof your career to ensure employment longevity \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The death of jobs, or the jobpocalypse, due to AI<\/a> has been greatly exaggerated but their redesign has not. The job-based model of work<\/a> is increasingly obsolete as companies move from fixed long-term jobs to skills-based roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorporate practices such as renting talent, just-in-time staffing and the liquid workforce depict more modular work arrangements beyond employment as traditionally understood,\u201d DCU<\/a> Business School\u2019s Dr Brian Harney and Prof Claire Gubbin write in the Advances in Developing Human Resources journal. <\/p>\n

Decades of secure employment with one company, or even several, may be increasingly unlikely. Yet most of us expect to work for at least 30 to 40 years. Mortgages, pensions and life insurance terms are all designed around jobs that last for decades. <\/p>\n

But what if secure, full-time employment only lasted 20 or even 10 years? What might that mean for your career design and financial stability?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe implications for talent are profound and still contested, depending on the nature of the role, the sector and the perspective under consideration,\u201d Harney and Gubbin state. \u201cThose taking an optimistic view point to the opportunity for greater autonomy, choice and meaningful work engagements. Others caution about the transfer of risk, uncertainty and accountability from the firm to the individual, including the responsibility and costs of upskilling and development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The availability of white-collar jobs is shrinking at both the beginning and the end of the career cycle. The introduction of AI has possibly led to fewer entry-level job openings in the short term. And thousands of senior-level tech workers \u2013 among the mostly highly paid professionals \u2013 in Ireland and globally have found themselves unexpectedly unemployed in their 30s and 40s. <\/p>\n

The jobs outlook for laid-off workers in their 50s is getting bleaker in some sectors too. In the US, almost a quarter of those over the age of 50 who are laid off never find another job. This is a reversal of every past recession-and-recovery cycle in which laid-off older workers returned to work faster than younger workers, according to a 2023 study by the Schwartz Center for Economic Analysis. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0We need more over-65 workers, and companies need to get better at employing themOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Employment rates in Europe also start to decline from the age of 50 and drop sharply after 60, according to the OECD Employment Outlook 2025. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn this context, there is an urgent need to avoid skill declines and foster a culture of continuous learning, shifting to a career model where learning at work takes place throughout life,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

At the moment, we\u2019re more insulated from these workplace changes in the European Union where there has been a steady increase in the expected duration of working life over the past few decades. In 2024, it was estimated at 37.2 years in Europe. The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Ireland had the longest expected working life, at more than 40 years. <\/p>\n

Tenure in individual jobs in Europe is longer: Ireland averages 9.4 years versus the US average of 4.1 years. <\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s employment and economic trends are currently positive too. Both foreign\u2011owned and Irish\u2011owned companies expanded their workforces in 2025, according to Enterprise Ireland. Foreign companies grew employment by 1.4 per cent, adding more than 4,500 jobs, while Irish\u2011owned businesses increased employment by 1.3 per cent, creating more than 3,000 roles. Regionally, the picture is equally strong: every region in Ireland has seen employment growth over the past decade. <\/p>\n

But, when America sneezes, Europe catches a cold. <\/p>\n

Should we all be preparing for this new world now? Are our employment laws and trade unions strong enough to ensure that work remains meaningful and not increasingly precarious, as it is in the United States? <\/p>\n

Time will tell but we need to keep a close eye on what happens to those employees who are laid off in Ireland and the rest of Europe. If employees are made redundant and do succeed in getting another job, are they paid as much as they were or are they forced \u2013 or choosing \u2013 to enter the gig economy? Do we all need to learn the art of the hustle to ensure we have a sustainable career?<\/p>\n

[\u00a0A mid-career life change: How I left my salaried job and struck out on my ownOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

And who is responsible for the retraining and re-employment of laid-off workers in Europe? Harney says this new corporate focus is putting more responsibility for security and skills development \u2013 such as digital literacy, critical thinking and resilience \u2013 on the individual instead of the employer. <\/p>\n

\u201cA key part of this is fragmented workplaces where the focus moves from acquiring (formal recruitment, long-term contracts) to accessing talent (short-term engagement based on need\/demand\/ access to certain skills),\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Career assets<\/p>\n

We need to start thinking differently about our careers, says innovator and educator Conor Lynch. Instead of considering what job roles and responsibilities might suit you, ask yourself instead: how can I position myself in the future?<\/p>\n

People are living longer, changing jobs more frequently and facing stagnating incomes, while simultaneously seeking meaning, flexibility and financial security. Worker disengagement and burnout is another issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor generations, the dominant career model for many has been simple: work more hours and earn more money. However, the career-ladder model is broken; it forces you to trade time for money without building real ownership. And safe careers are no longer safe,\u201d says Lynch.<\/p>\n

Lynch has written a book based on lessons from his own career transition from employee to digital entrepreneur. The book, Learn Earn Own, was written to help Irish workers to navigate the shifting workforce by developing a new mindset. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of work is not a job. It is a portfolio. But this isn\u2019t about quitting your job; it\u2019s about not letting your job be your only plan. Jobs are temporary, assets are forever,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

To protect your income and lengthen your career, Lynch says you need to start owning more by generating career assets: your brand, skills, relationship, networks, social media. Think about what\u2019s in your career portfolio too in terms of ideas, tools, equipment, proprietary methodologies, frameworks, books, ebooks and podcasts.<\/p>\n

You can upskill, diversify and build assets without quitting your job. In this model, you don\u2019t have 10 jobs, you have a multilinear career. You have one job with learning projects on the side instead of just waiting around for Helen in HR to tell you what to do next, says Lynch.<\/p>\n

Start to experiment too. It takes courage, but creating your own learning laboratories and side hustles ensures continuous learning, increased earning, and an openness to owning. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can you do right now? Upload your CV to an AI chatbot and say \u2018I\u2019d like to look for career opportunities based on my current skills.\u2019 AI can be a good initial career coach as it can suggest three potential career options that may protect your career and income for the next 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good job is a great platform but don\u2019t make it a ceiling to your potential. By creating career assets you can have a career that compounds rather than dies out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie<\/a><\/p>\n