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Hybrid working has clearly become the norm, with 78% of roles now operating on a two-to-three-day hybrid basis. Fully remote roles continue to decline, specifically for location-agnostic professional roles such as accountants, technology professionals, and legal roles, rather than site-dependent occupations such as healthcare or construction.
This continued reduction in fully remote opportunities has two key implications:
1) Companies that can genuinely offer fully remote roles retain a clear competitive advantage, while talent seeking fully remote work will face a very limited set of options. Many professionals currently working fully remotely are doing so largely due to legacy post-pandemic arrangements rather than new role availability.
2) Full-time office-based roles have steadily increased and now account for 15% of all roles. However, as the vast majority of talent continues to expect flexibility, organisations mandating full-time office attendance are significantly restricting their talent pool and reducing geographic access to skills. Four-to-five-day office requirements represent a clear competitive disadvantage in hiring.
Hybrid working has effectively become a default expectation within the overall reward package, alongside base salary, bonuses, pension, and healthcare. Flexibility is now viewed not as a benefit, but as a standard component of professional employment.
Barden’s National Talent Monitor is a quarterly snapshot of Ireland’s private enterprise professional workforce, covering all major professions including accounting, engineering, analytics, administration, legal, engineering and beyond. You can view our full H1 2026 National Talent Monitor here>>>>