The Office Support sector continues to evolve as employers seek versatile candidates who can support fast-paced, hybrid working environments. This 2026 Salary Guide benchmarks market activity from 2025, highlighting in-demand office support skills, current salary ranges and how organisations are adapting their hiring strategies to attract and retain experienced support professionals across Ireland.

Office Support Job Market Outlook 2026: Skills Versatility, Hybrid Demand and Hiring Pressures

Salary Stability

Salaries in Office Support have largely remained flat throughout 2025, which is set to continue in 2026. Administrative workers with one year of experience should expect a minimum of €30k, while Executive Assistants can demand salaries of €65k+. Titles within Office Support can vary widely in responsibility, with larger organisations in major cities likely to pay at the higher end of all salary brackets. Temporary and contract roles can also demand a premium for flexibility, whereas public sector roles will be restricted by pay grades and have the least flexibility.

Hybrid Working Changes

We are seeing that the majority of candidates continue to pursue flexible working options. The hybrid structure is the first query we get asked—before salary and job information—to ensure the policy is something they can commit to. Whilst this is prevalent from candidates, we are seeing an increase in companies requesting workers to be based fully onsite. These fully onsite roles have seen an increase from 11% to 17% throughout 2025, with a focus being on smaller organisations or those with fully onsite workforces (e.g., manufacturing). This can limit the pool of applicants, meaning companies need to keep employer brand and candidate experience top of mind to secure their ideal candidates.

Flexible Hiring

Throughout 2025, we have seen an increase in temporary hiring with a view to a permanent conversion. Clients have required flexible hiring arrangements due to market uncertainty, choosing to hire temporary staff to bridge short-term gaps or "test out" candidates for permanent roles. A notable trend is the rise in senior-level temp placements, allowing businesses access to high-calibre talent on a flexible basis. Temporary hiring also remains strong to cover maternity, parental, and sick leave, with Financial Services, Membership Organisations, and the Healthcare sectors showing the highest growth.

Demand for Digital Knowledge

We are seeing a decrease in traditional “keyboard and filing” roles and a shift towards positions that require a higher level of digital fluency with CRM systems, project-based tools, and analytics. Organisations expect Office Support professionals who can add value—through process improvement, digital administration, and stakeholder interface—rather than just task execution. Reflecting this, AI-driven processes are becoming more prevalent, with AI expertise now being queried in most Office Support interviews.