The head of HR at a legal and tax advisory firm, that has offices in Kerry, has warned that employers need to revisit how they engage, challenge and support their existing staff.
Jennifer O’Brien is head of HR with Orbitus, which has offices in Tralee and Cork.
She was speaking following the publication of the CSO Labour Market Churn report for the second quarter of the year.
Jennifer O’Brien says the drop in job creation and the rise in job destruction point to a more cautious hiring environment.
She says organisations are no longer expanding at pace, and some are beginning to consolidate or restructure, which for HR leaders she believes means focusing less on rapid recruitment and more on retention, performance, and internal mobility.
Ms O’Brien says the fall in job churn rates points towards an increase in the number of 'job stayers', suggesting a stabilising, or perhaps risk-averse, workforce.
However, she adds that with fewer people moving jobs, employers need to revisit how they engage, challenge, and support their existing staff, saying retention isn’t passive - it needs deliberate culture, communication, and career planning strategies.
The CSO Labour Market Churn report shows that mid-sized firms (those with between 50 and 249 staff) have the highest job churn rate.
