ACCA’s latest Global Talent Trends report the world’s largest annual survey of careers, jobs and working life in finance and accounting, shows that the impact of inflation on salaries is the biggest concern for respondents in Ireland.
This mirrors the fears of respondents across the globe; the rising cost of living has been named as the biggest workplace concern for respondents globally for the past four years.
The inflation rate in Ireland is hovering around 3.7%, compared with 2.2% in April 2025. The cost of housing – the weighted average interest rate on new mortgage agreements – stood at 3.52% in March 2026, the seventh highest rate in the euro area – and rising energy costs are adding to the strain. While wage growth in Ireland is stronger than in many other countries, the survey shows rising levels of pay dissatisfaction.
Globally, 55% of respondents said they were unhappy with their current level of pay, while just 36% said they were satisfied. Dissatisfaction is more pronounced among younger and more junior employees.
As one roundtable participant in Europe put it: ‘Younger people can’t get on the housing market. They also live further out, so they struggle to come to the office; everything’s been affected by this because they’re not able to buy in the cities any more.’
Wage woes
Respondents from Ireland, though, were not the most dissatisfied with their remuneration – 49% said they were unhappy, compared with 51% in Greece, 52% in Vietnam, 53% in Poland and 56% in Australia.
The report notes that cost-of-living concerns in many countries are translating into ‘significant compensation demands from respondents’ – which is creating challenges for employers, from both a cost and retention perspective. The fact that this year’s survey was carried out before the conflict in Iran, and the inflationary impact of rising oil prices has not yet filtered through to prices on the shelves, suggests that employers’ problems are only just beginning.
Over 60% of respondents globally say they will ask for a pay rise in the next 12 months, rising to 73% among Gen Z. Almost six in 10 respondents expect a pay rise of more than 5% in the coming year, and more than a third expect an increase of more than 10%.
The report argues that these rising salary expectations ‘are beyond what most employers can offer’. When the cost of living is growing faster than salaries, said one roundtable participant, ‘it’s a very difficult place for employers to be’.
Part of the retention challenge for employers is the adaptability of a professional qualification in finance and accountancy – employees who are less than happy have options available to them. This is reflected in the survey; 62% of all respondents say they expect to move roles within the next two years and 52% of these expect their move to be outside their current organisation.
This year’s report explores where these mobile finance professionals might want to go – and comes to the conclusion that most are looking for a role with social or environmental impact.
In fact, 75% of all respondents, and 70% of those in Ireland, say that an organisation’s reputation on social and human rights is a key factor in talent attraction. By contrast, 58% globally, and 50% of respondents in Ireland, say that an employer’s reputation on environmental issues is a key factor.
Unsurprisingly, the importance of social impact is stronger among younger professionals; 82% of Gen Z respondents globally say that social impact is important when deciding whether to join an organisation, compared with 67% of Baby Boomers.
‘With so much focus on environmental credentials alone,’ says the report, ‘organisations may be overlooking an even more powerful recruitment tool: the broader social impact.’
More information
See the global coverage in AB and other regional deep dives of the research:
Africa
Asia-Pacific
Europe, North America, Caribbean
Middle East and South Asia
UK
