New research from Indeed found that one in three Irish employees now work in a field unrelated to what they studied.
The study, which surveyed 1,000 workers and jobseekers in Ireland in June 2026, found that 56 per cent of employees said their education directly relates to their current career, while over a third now work in a field unrelated to what they studied.
Vice President at Indeed, Derek Diviney said this reflects a shift away from the idea that one choice locks in a lifelong path: “There can be a huge amount of pressure on students to feel that choosing a college course or first job means choosing their entire career. But these findings show that the reality is often much more flexible.”
That flexibility, he added, makes a particular skill increasingly valuable: “the ability to recognise and apply skills is becoming increasingly important, particularly in a competitive and rapidly changing job market.”
For young people specifically, that market is getting harder to break into. 81 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they have a dream job they’re working toward, but Indeed data showed graduate job postings in Ireland have fallen by 9 per cent since 2024. The data also revealed other challenges. 24 per cent of this age group said the hardest part is knowing which jobs to even apply for, 21 per cent struggled to stand out from other candidates, and over half of those surveyed admit they find it hard to explain why they’re the best fit in an application or interview.
The gap between degree and career also varies by industry. Workers in Arts and Culture and Education were most likely to say their job closely matched what they studied, followed by Finance, Healthcare, and IT & Telecoms. At the other end of the scale, almost half of those in Retail, Catering & Leisure and Manufacturing & Utilities said their education has little bearing on their current career, followed by Travel & Transport and Legal studies.
