Global talent services firm, Morgan McKinley, today launches its Ireland 2026 Benefits Guide, a comprehensive national study of how benefits are offered by employers, experienced and valued by employees across the Irish labour market.

— 68% of employees say benefits influence loyalty, yet 38% believe their package is below market.

— Younger and early-career employees are significantly less likely to report having access to pensions and health insurance.

— Hybrid working is now a baseline expectation, now offered by most employers, but significant sector differences remain.

— Just over 2% of employees report access to employer-supported childcare.

— Life Sciences, Financial Services, Technology, Legal and Telecommunications sectors lead the market on range of benefits and competitiveness.

— Pensions, bonuses, and health insurance remain the most common benefits.

— Guide draws on 1,222 employer and employee responses across 32+ sectors, all 32 counties, among Irish and multinational organisations representing 600,000 employees.

The findings point to a more mature and more strategic benefits market, but also to a sharper contradiction at its core. While pensions, bonuses and health insurance remain among the most valued and most established benefits, access to some of these core protections is still materially lower for younger and early-career employees.

The gap matters at a time when Ireland has an ageing population and when earlier access to private health insurance can have long-term value because of Lifetime Community Rating.

Some 90% of employee respondents report being enrolled in an employer-sponsored pension scheme. However, the report finds that younger employees are significantly less likely to report access to pensions and health insurance than older groups.

This points to a benefits model that remains strongest for established employees, rather than consistently supporting talent from the earliest stages of employment.

The Morgan McKinley Ireland Benefits Guide shows that benefits continue to play a major role in retention, with 68% of employees saying their benefits package influences their loyalty to their employer. Yet 38% still believe their package is below market standards, highlighting a persistent gap between employer intent and employee experience.

Hybrid working is a baseline expectation

Across the wider benefits landscape, the report finds that hybrid working has shifted from a differentiator to a baseline expectation, with almost one in three employees ranking it among their most important benefits.

Childcare support

At the same time, childcare support from employers remains almost non-existent, with just over 2% of employees reporting access to employer-supported childcare, despite persistent cost-of-living pressures on working households.

The research also highlights a disconnect between the benefits employers say they offer and employees' lived experience. For several high-value benefits, including protection benefits, learning and development and enhanced leave, employer-reported provision exceeds employee-reported receipt by up to 40%. This suggests that access, awareness, eligibility, and communication are important factors in the development and administration of employer benefits schemes.

The research also points to a clear divide in benefits competitiveness by sector

Financial Services, Life Sciences, Technology, Legal and Telecommunications emerge as the strongest performers overall, offering the broadest mix of pensions, bonuses, health insurance, hybrid working, and protection benefits.

Life Sciences stands out as one of the most balanced sectors in the market, providing pensions (84%), bonuses (83%), health insurance (86%) and enhanced annual leave (46%), while Financial Services, Technology, Legal and Telecommunications also perform strongly across financial, wellbeing and flexibility supports.

Key findings from the Ireland 2026 Benefits Guide include:

— Benefits matter for retention: mor...

Digital Business Ireland (DBI) has called on the Irish Government to seek changes to the European Commission's proposal to revise the EU Cybersecurity Act.

DBI warned that the current proposals, known as CSA2, pose significant risks for Ireland and Irish businesses, as they are very broad and lack sufficient detail – especially in terms of non-technical standards that could potentially apply to every ICT device used by a business.

DP Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for DBI, stated: "This proposal could affect up to 18 key sectors of the economy and public service — including energy, health, transport, and financial services – and the breadth and lack of detail in the proposal risks creating unintended consequences across the wider economy with SMEs, at risk of being disproportionately impacted".

The proposed revision also provides for a significant centralisation of powers at EU level, introducing binding, EU-wide ICT supply-chain measures. This includes the ability for the European Commission to designate "high-risk suppliers", impose mandatory restrictions, or phase out obligations directly on electronic communications networks.

DBI have highlighted that the proposal to designate entire third countries as 'high-risk' is particularly worrying, as it would automatically classify all suppliers from those countries as high-risk and impose blanket bans on them, creating significant risks for businesses in Ireland with global supply chains.

DP Fitzgerald stated: "Removing national discretion is especially problematic for smaller Member States such as Ireland. A one-size-fits-all approach could undermine Ireland's digital competitiveness, disrupt existing infrastructure investments, and limit our ability to respond proportionately to risk. Ireland already operates a robust, best-in-class cybersecurity framework, and we should not be disadvantaged for having achieved an effective and proportionate regime".

DBI has written to the Minister for Justice, calling on the Government to seek changes to CSA2 to:

— Respect and protect Ireland's national competencies.

— Ensure that any non- technical criteria are objective, risk-based and verifiable.

— Ensure any proposed new restrictions are proportionate to the assessed risk.

Digital Business Ireland has welcomed comments by the Minister for Communications, Patrick O'Donovan, who stated Ireland does "not believe in protectionism and, before applying security restrictions on products in sensitive supply chains, we will need to take a balanced and proportionate risk-based assessment to implement these types of measures"

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Tech Industry Alliance has announced the official launch of TechFest 2026, the South West's leading technology conference, bringing together technology leaders, policymakers, innovators, and industry experts for a high-impact, in-person event exploring one of the defining issues of our time: how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping business, society and public trust.

TechFest, the flagship annual conference from Tech Industry Alliance, will take place at the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork, from 09:00 on Thursday, 21 May 2026. This year's theme, "AI, Technology & the Future: Innovation, Intelligence and Human Impact," will explore both the opportunities and responsibilities that accompany rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

Tickets for the conference are now available at: https://techindustryalliance.ie/tech-industry-alliance-techfest-2026/.

The dynamic one-day conference will feature high-profile keynote speakers, expert panel discussions, and real-world industry case studies. The programme is designed to provide both strategic insight and practical application, examining not only the transformative potential of AI, but also the governance, regulatory and ethical frameworks required to scale it responsibly.

TechFest 2026 will welcome Jamie Bartlett, a UK-based author, researcher, and broadcaster specialising in the societal impact of emerging technologies, online culture and digital power. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including the bestselling The Dark Net, Radicals, The People Vs Tech and The Missing Cryptoqueen, with his work translated into 15 languages.

Bartlett founded the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank Demos and is a regular commentator across national and international media. His expertise spans cybersecurity, crypto scams, online subcultures and the influence of technology on politics. His TED Talk, How the Mysterious Dark Net Is Going Mainstream, has been viewed more than five million times.

Guiding attendees through the day will be Jonathan McCrea, acclaimed science communicator and AI master trainer. Known for making complex technology accessible and engaging, Jonathan will help frame discussions around the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption, ensuring an insightful and thought-provoking experience for attendees.

Matthew Camilleri, Chairperson of Tech Industry Alliance, said:

"We are delighted to announce TechFest 2026. From the societal risks associated with AI, cybersecurity threats, and criminal misuse, to regulation, innovation enablement and enterprise adoption, this year's conference will offer a balanced and forward-looking agenda. TechFest continues to bring together the voices shaping the future of technology in Ireland. This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, who recognise the critical importance of the technology sector to the Munster region. Following the success of last year's conference, we look forward to building on that momentum in 2026."

With more than 400 attendees expected, TechFest 2026 will provide a unique opportunity to network, collaborate, and share insights across the technology ecosystem. The event will feature speakers from technology companies, academia, government, law enforcement, and cybersecurity, alongside organisations already deploying AI solutions in real-world environments. The full lineup of speakers will be released in the coming weeks.

Given the high level of interest, early registration is encouraged as the event is expected to sell out.

For exhibitor and sponsorship enquiries, contact [email protected].

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Solance, a Dublin-based financial institution providing financial services for family offices, corporate service providers and corporates with multi-entity structures, has selected SaaScada to power its new multi-currency payments platform as part of its European launch.

Solance specialises in delivering financial solutions for niche sectors often underserved by traditional banks. Built around the principle that complexity should not be a barrier to access, the firm is developing a modern payments platform designed to combine efficient technology, strong governance and a relationship-driven service model.

Currently progressing through the licensing application process in Ireland, Solance is targeting a 2026 go-live. Alongside regulatory preparation, the company is building its technology platform to deliver a streamlined onboarding experience focused on speed, clarity and personalised support.

SaaScada's cloud-native banking platform was selected to provide the real-time payments infrastructure powering Solance's proposition, enabling rapid product deployment, scalable account structures and enhanced operational visibility, capabilities critical for managing sophisticated corporate arrangements.

"We are building Solance for companies that expect more from their financial partner," said Stefan Sluijter, CEO of Solance. "Our ambition is to become the financial partner organisations rely on when they require expertise, responsiveness and a truly personal approach. To achieve that, we needed a technology platform capable of delivering both flexibility and reliability from day one. SaaScada provides the foundation to make that possible."

By combining the efficiency and speed associated with neo-banks with the personalised, high-touch service traditionally found in private banking, Solance aims to set a new standard for how organisations access modern financial services.

"SaaScada provides configurability and real-time data needed to enable institutions launch and scale financial products quickly while maintaining precision and control," said Nelson Wootton, CEO and Co-Founder of SaaScada, "Solance's focus on solving real challenges for corporate clients is a strong example of how modern banking infrastructure can unlock new market opportunities. We are delighted to support their journey to launch."

The partnership marks another step in the evolution of specialised financial services, where modern technology enables institutions to confidently serve segments that have historically been difficult to onboard and support.

See more stories here.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising various industries, and pharmaceutical manufacturing is no exception. While much attention has been given to AI's role in accelerating drug discovery, its impact on process development for large-scale drug manufacturing is equally transformative. Dr James Dalton, from KPMG's R&D Tax Incentives Practice, explores how AI can enhance the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of drug production processes, along with future trends and regulatory adaptations.

AI has the potential to reshape large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing by optimising production processes, improving quality control, and reducing costs. Through advanced data analytics and machine learning, AI can monitor equipment performance in real time, predict maintenance needs, and adjust variables like temperature or pressure to maintain consistent product quality.

It also enables faster identification of production bottlenecks and enhances supply chain efficiency by forecasting demand and managing inventory. These capabilities not only streamline operations but also ensure that medicines are produced more reliably and at scale, helping meet global healthcare demands more effectively.

Optimising Process Design and Scale-Up

One of the critical challenges in drug manufacturing is optimising process design and scaling up from laboratory to industrial production. AI models, particularly machine learning algorithms, can analyse vast amounts of process development data to identify optimal processing parameters quickly.

This reduces development time and minimises waste, ensuring a more efficient transition from small-scale to large-scale production. For example, AI can simulate various process conditions to determine the best combination of temperature, pressure, and reactant concentrations for maximum yield. This allows manufacturers to scale up production with confidence, knowing the process parameters are optimised for efficiency and quality.

Advanced Process Control (APC)

AI-driven Advanced Process Control (APC) systems could become pivotal in maintaining the desired output quality during manufacturing. By integrating real-time sensor data with AI algorithms, these systems could dynamically adjust process parameters to maintain optimal conditions. This not only enhances product quality but also reduces the likelihood of production errors and downtime.

For instance, in a bioreactor used for drug production, AI can continuously monitor variables such as pH, temperature, and nutrient levels. If any parameter deviates from the optimal range, the AI system can automatically adjust inputs to bring the process back to the desired state, ensuring consistent product quality.

This could be applied to all aspects of production, from raw material handling to packaging. This not only speeds up production but also ensures higher consistency and quality of the final product. AI systems can automatically adjust process parameters in real-time to maintain optimal conditions, reducing the likelihood of human error and improving overall efficiency.

Smart Monitoring and Maintenance

AI technologies enable smart monitoring and predictive maintenance of manufacturing equipment. By continuously analysing data from sensors embedded in machinery, AI can predict potential failures before they occur. This proactive approach minimises unplanned downtime and extends the lifespan of critical equipment, ensuring a more reliable manufacturing process.

For example, AI can analyse vibration patterns and temperature data from a centrifuge used in drug purification. If the data indicates an impending mechanical issue, the system can alert maintenance staff to perform preventive maintenance, avoiding costly breakdowns. This proactive approach minimises downtime and ensures a smoother production process. Pharmaceutical companies already use AI to automate visual inspections on production lines, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manua...

It's 2026, and the crypto space makes the headlines with assets from exchanges being phished or neo brokers suddenly freezing their crypto offering amidst regulatory challenges. Security and trust are still important decision-making criteria when investors look for a home for their crypto trading.

Coinbase has compiled 10 reasons why it is the most trusted crypto app (surveys conducted by YouGov and Qualtrics in Q4'22 and Q1'23). In addition to the reasons below, Coinbase transparently work with the Web3 community, researchers, and developers to make on-chain solutions genuinely secure.

10 Reasons Why Coinbase is a Crypto Broker You Can Trust

1. 100% Custody of Customer Assets' Value

Coinbase holds the full reserve of customer deposits – all assets are fully backed and not reused. Coinbase does not use any customer funds without permission. This practice is confirmed by regular audits from independent auditors.

2. Crypto Stored Offline and Decentralised

Coinbase stores up to 97% of cryptocurrencies in cold wallets (Coinbase, "A behind the scenes look", 2018), which are offline and geographically distributed. These wallets use Multi-Party Computation (MPC, Coinbase: The Standard in Crypto Custody, 2025) and Hardware Security Modules (HSM, Coinbase, "A behind the scenes look", 2018).

MPC refers to a cryptographic technique where crypto keys are split among multiple parties, reducing the risk of a single point of failure, as no single actor has access to all the required information to access an account. HSM is a hardware component designed specifically for the secure storage of cryptographic keys and the execution of cryptographic operations.

3. Custodian of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs*

Financial giants use Coinbase (BusinessWire, 2024) as the custodian for their Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.

– Coinbase is trusted with the secure custody of crypto assets

– Provides a robust and reliable trading infrastructure

– Maintains high trading volumes, ensuring sufficient liquidity for the ETF product

– Coinbase values compliance with regulatory requirements

Crypto ETFs, incidentally, are among the fastest-growing financial products ever. The BlackRock ETF alone has grown to a net asset value of over $85 billion since January 2024 (as of October 2025), according to Bitbo. GLD, the biggest gold ETF, in comparison, has $140 billion in assets under management as stated in the official factsheet.

4. World Class IT and Data Security

Personal data is protected at rest with 256 bits of encryption using standard algorithms also used by governments, financial institutions, and military organisations. To transmit data between customers and the platform, Coinbase uses state-of-the-art SSL/TLS standards (Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security). In particular, TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 encryption and authentication offer protection against the most common types of cyberattacks and more advanced types, such as man-in-the-middle attacks.

5. Phishing Protection I: Advanced 2FA Methods

Two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your account from phishing attacks is standard, and Coinbase offers a variety of the most advanced 2FA methods, including apps, SMS, or tokens for identification, as well as U2F security keys (such as Yubikey).

6. Phishing Protection II: Coinbase Vault

Another unique feature is the free Coinbase Vault: users can specify if additional persons must confirm transactions. There is a 48-hour waiting period for each transaction. Additionally, Coinbase sends email confirmations for all activities and changes to your account, allowing you to detect suspicious activity immediately. In an emergency, the account can be locked 24/7 via a free hotline.

7. Integrated Wallet for Self-Custody of Crypto Keys

Coinbase offers a free software wallet* that can be connected to the Coinbase account with just a few clicks. With the Base app, customers can manage the addresses and keys for thousands of cryptos on EVM-compatible chains themselves. Regardle...

Guest post by Fiona Descoteaux and Dr Clodagh O'Reilly

Ireland has more than 4,000 social enterprises employing over 25,000 people, according to Ireland's National Social Enterprise Policy 2024–2027. Across Europe, the European Commission's Social Economy Action Plan (2021) puts the social economy at 13.6 million jobs, roughly 6% of total EU employment. Recent research (Quaye, 2024) has identified social enterprise as an ideal model for delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals. By any measure, social enterprise should be considered as a serious part of the economy.

So why are so many of these organisations being quietly set up to fail?

Both Ireland's National Social Enterprise Policy 2024–2027 and Northern Ireland's Social Enterprise Action Plan 2023–2026 make the same demand: diversify revenue, reduce grant dependency, and build sustainable trading models. Highlighting the importance of using successful commercial models to sustain the delivery of social impact.

The problem is that most social enterprises were built around grant funding, not traded income. The commercial infrastructure, pricing models, financial systems, governance for growth, and the core infrastructure for scaling were not put in place, and the ecosystem has been slow to address them.

The structural gaps we see repeatedly

Between us, we have spent more than four decades working in and around social enterprise leadership, research and policy. Across that time, the same structural challenges appear with striking consistency.

Social enterprises are hybrid organisations, pursuing social or environmental missions while trading in competitive markets. That dual mandate requires leaders to balance purpose with financial sustainability, often without the commercial infrastructure to do either well.

The most persistent gap is commercial strategy. Many organisations have strong missions and genuine impact but lack defined trading strategies or the operational plans required to support scaling. Without a clear commercial direction, scaling becomes reactive rather than deliberate.

This is compounded by limited market analysis. Competitor positioning and market opportunities are not always assessed systematically, making it difficult to identify where and how an organisation can realistically scale.

Revenue models present another challenge. Where services have historically been grant-funded, pricing structures often don't reflect the full cost of delivery or the value being created. Organisations end up quietly subsidising their users and undermining their own sustainability in the process.

Operational systems can also lag behind ambition. Without reliable financial dashboards and performance data, leaders making significant strategic decisions lack the visibility that would be standard in any comparable commercial organisation. Increasingly, the tools to address this, including practical applications of artificial intelligence, are accessible to organisations of all sizes, but few social enterprise leaders have had the opportunity to explore what's relevant to their context.

In effect, many social enterprises are attempting to scale impact without the commercial architecture that enables scaling in any enterprise. None of this reflects badly on the leaders involved. It reflects a sector that has been asked to change faster than the support ecosystem around it.

Who is behind the programme?

Led by InterTradeIreland, the programme is delivered in partnership with two practitioners whose combined experience spans research, enterprise leadership, financial systems and policy development across Ireland's social enterprise ecosystem.

Fiona Descoteaux leads Unravel Complexity Ltd, a consultancy specialising in commercial architecture, governance systems and blended-finance models for social innovation, place-based regeneration and social economy development. Her career in the sector spans more than two decades, beginning in Glasgow in 2004.

She has held senior leade...

The retail industry stands at the threshold of a profound transformation. As we navigate an era marked by relentless change, the convergence of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, agentic systems, and real-time data has redefined what it means to be competitive, resilient, and customer-centric.

In this new landscape, advanced technology is no longer a supporting player for retailers; it is a central force shaping every aspect of their organisation. From generative and agentic AI to predictive models and multi-agent systems, AI is transforming decision-making from tactical to strategic, empowering retailers to respond to market shifts in real time, personalise customer experiences, and unlock new levels of operational efficiency.

At TCS, we believe perceptive retail is more than a technological evolution; it is a call to reimagine every aspect of this sector. It's a strategic imperative that TCS is helping leading retailers globally implement, moving beyond better processes to better choices.

Choices informed by deep context, foresight, and a holistic understanding of customer and organisational needs. It means embracing federated supply chains and resilient operations that can thrive during uncertainty. Above all, it means fostering trust, ensuring that technology serves both the business and consumers transparently and ethically.

AI has shifted from experimental technology to strategic imperative, but adoption is uneven and not yet delivering tangible economic value and transformative impact. Our recently published TCS Global Retail Outlook Study reveals only 24% of retailers currently use AI for autonomous decision-making, while 85% have not yet begun implementing – or even planning for multi-agent AI systems.

Further insights from the TCS study show that retail executives overwhelmingly view AI as central to future success, consistently ranking it among the top priorities. Yet, actual deployment to date is still largely superficial. About half of retailers (51%) are currently planning to implement ad hoc chatbots as their key AI initiative for 2026.

If retailers' top objective is driving profitable growth, their leading AI-led initiative of chatbots and virtual assistants will be insufficient to achieve this goal. Many seem to recognise that true profitable growth will require applying AI to customer data for real-time pricing that optimises margins, expanding retail media networks to monetise their data, and branching into additional services and business lines for growth beyond their traditional channels.

Introducing Perceptive Retail

Perceptive retail marks a major shift in how retail organisations operate. Instead of treating AI as just a helpful technology running in the background, retailers are now integrating AI as an active member of their workforce, which helps guide decisions and shape outcomes in real time.

Many retailers are already embracing artificial intelligence within their daily operations through innovations ranging from personalised pricing to digital twins that can simulate options and optimise decisions. This is just the beginning for AI, a once-a-generation or maybe once-a-century technological disruption.

What sets this transformation apart is the way AI systems can reason, interpret complex signals, and act autonomously, working alongside human teams to understand the bigger picture and anticipate customer needs and industry trends that aren't always obvious.

Moving from simple predictive analytics to AI-driven decision-making with richer context represents a significant evolution in retail, unlocking new levels of precision, agility, and foresight. Executives now place high value on real-time insight into demand, competitor moves, and cost volatility.

Perceptive retail offers a range of transformative benefits for retailers, fundamentally changing how they operate and engage with customers. By integrating AI as an active participant within the workforce, retailers can achieve...

Deel, the leading global HR and payroll platform, today released its annual State of Global Hiring Report, the most comprehensive analysis of how companies hire across borders. Drawing on data from more than one million worker contracts spanning 37,000+ companies in 150+ countries, the 2025 report reveals four seismic shifts in the global labour market: AI training has emerged as a distinct, global profession, top-funded startups are hiring internationally for specialised talent rather than cost savings, remote workers are migrating back toward cities, and contractors in volatile economies are increasingly "currency hopping" into USD and stablecoins to protect their earnings.

AI Is Creating Jobs, Not Just Replacing Them

The report reveals a rapid emergence of AI trainers as a new, expansive global profession that barely existed two years ago. Over 70,000 workers now train AI systems across more than 600 organisations, performing tasks from basic data annotation to expert-level feedback in medicine, economics, and translation. General AI trainer roles grew 283% cross-border in 2025, making it the single fastest-growing role on Deel's platform.

Additional key findings on AI trainers:

Pay is sharply bifurcated: 30% of trainers earn $15–20/hour for annotation work, while 19% earn $50–75/hour, and 6% earn $100+/hour for subject-matter expertise.

58% of AI trainers are based in the U.S., followed by India (7.2%), the Philippines (4.6%), Canada (2.1%), and Kenya (1.7%).

A gender pay gap persists: in the U.S., male AI trainers earn a median of $50/hour vs. $30/hour for female trainers, driven by occupational segmentation across specialisations.

Top Startups Go Global for Talent, Not Cost Savings

Among nearly 100 startups founded between 2020 and 2025 that raised $100M+ in funding, cross-border hiring overwhelmingly targets wealthy, high-income countries, shattering the myth that international hiring is primarily about outsourcing.

The UK leads top-startup hires (12.2%), followed by Canada (11.9%), Germany (8.8%), Australia (5.8%), and Spain (5.2%) – all high-income markets.

Software developers make up 28% of cross-border hires among top startups, followed by tech sales (6.2%), business developers (4%), and AI engineers (2%).

Top startups are 13.6 percentage points more likely to hire software developers cross-border than general SMBs.

Seven of the top 10 cross-border roles globally are in sales, marketing, or customer-facing functions – local market knowledge remains nearly impossible to automate.

The Urban Boomerang: Remote Workers Are Moving Back Toward Cities

After a pandemic-era exodus from major cities, remote workers are gradually migrating back. The average distance of cross-border employees from major urban centres has declined every year since 2022 (when Deel began tracking this metric). In the U.S., workers are now as close to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco as they were in 2021. Similar patterns appear in London and Paris.

Global Compensation: Leadership Roles Drive Pay Growth, Regional Gaps Widen

Salary growth in 2025 concentrated in senior leadership positions, but the drivers varied dramatically by region:

U.S. project managers led all roles at 24.5% compensation growth, followed by COOs (21.6%) and CEOs (20%).

COOs in Latin America saw 99.8% compensation growth – nearly 5x the U.S. rate for the same role.

Singapore CTOs experienced 101% pay growth, but other tech roles in the same market contracted.

LATAM financial analysts saw 195.5% compensation growth, reflecting the rapid professionalisation of operational roles in emerging markets.

LATAM call centre agents gained 210.8% even after excluding top employers – signalling broad-based demand, not isolated company effects.

Workers Are "Currency Hopping" to Protect Earnings

As part of the "currency hopping" trend, contractors in economically volatile markets with high inflation are increasingly choosing USD or stablecoins over loca...

Qualcom, a leading Irish provider of IT and cybersecurity services, has announced that it is investing €500,000 to launch its new artificial intelligence (AI) practice. This investment will span three years and, in the continued expansion of its team, Qualcom plans to hire four AI specialists within this timeframe.

The new practice will support secure AI adoption for Irish organisations and enable them to align with evolving regulatory requirements. The investment includes a new partnership with AI infrastructure provider NROC and, as part of this, Qualcom will provide a full wraparound service to secure and manage customers' AI environments, using NROC's technology. The funding also includes the training and upskilling of new team members, as well as AI training for Qualcom's existing managed services and infosec teams.

In turn, the new practice will further enable Qualcom to deliver AI-powered solutions that will secure customers' Microsoft data, and to provide ultra-secure managed services to businesses. Qualcom has also developed a comprehensive AI policy framework designed to help organisations to incorporate AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT into their daily operations, while safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring compliance,

The company is launching the new dedicated practice in response to heightened demand among customers for AI solutions, services, and capabilities to drive business growth and remain competitive.

This investment comes as Qualcom celebrated 30 years in business in 2025. The company recently announced that it has boosted the headcount within its support centre by 33%, and enhanced facilities at its Dublin headquarters to equip the business for continued growth.

David Kinsella, Technical Director, Qualcom, said: "This investment in our people, platforms, and capabilities reflects our commitment to supporting customers as they navigate both the opportunities and risks of AI. As we look ahead to the next three years, there's no doubt that the use and applications of AI will continue to grow exponentially. The launch of the new practice will enable us to adapt quickly in line with industry demand, delivering right first-time services that are fully compliant and maximise IT uptime for businesses in Ireland. We're looking forward to working closely with customers as we support the secure rollout of AI tools to help them to keep pace with their competitors."

See more stories here.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

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