Roghanna beartais reatha a athfhrámáil, a athnuachan agus a fheabhsú
An dul chun cinn atá déanta ag Éirinn i dtreo forbairt eacnamaíoch, shóisialta agus chomhshaoil níos inbhuanaithe agus níos comhtháite a mhúnlú agus a mhúnlú go gníomhach.
Scrúdaíonn ár gcuid oibre conas is féidir aghaidh a thabhairt ar imní túslíne agus ar eispéiris mhaireachtála saoránach, grúpaí agus áiteanna trí dhearadh beartais, cur chun feidhme agus athchóiriú institiúideach éifeachtach. Trí ár n-anailís a bhunú ar eispéireas an domhain fhíorshaoil, tá sé mar aidhm againn tacú le beartais a sholáthraíonn torthaí fiúntacha agus buan.
Táimid ag obair freisin chun infheictheacht, tuiscint agus tionchar taighde NESC a mhéadú ar fud an chórais bheartais agus pholaitiúil níos leithne, chomh maith leis an tsochaí shibhialta.
Táimid ag obair faoi láthair ar na tionscadail seo a leanas:
Analysis undertaken by the Council in 2023 highlighted the risks posed to Ireland’s economic resilience by significant, persistent capacity constraints. NESC’s ongoing research into Ireland’s energy transition also suggests potential limitations in long-term planning. Anticipating and managing strategic issues requires (elusive) certainty around the details, timeline, and impacts in the near-to-medium term, paired with capacity to plan for the long-term impacts and the demonstrable ability to deliver progress. Challenges are evident across policy areas (e.g. housing, infrastructure, healthcare, and other services). The policy-system may benefit from fresh consideration of ways Ireland could improve its long-term planning, provision, and delivery capacity.
NESC is currently exploring work in this area, which will continue throughout 2026.
Ireland’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy emphasises the importance of building public trust in AI, leveraging AI to realise economic and societal benefits, and creating enabling conditions to allow AI to improve productivity and drive innovation. This strategy aims to drive the adoption of trustworthy, person-centred AI, while promoting ethical practices and robust data privacy standards.
NESC is engaged in a programme of research on the topic of AI. Key areas of focus include:
-> AI adoption in the context of public services in Ireland;
-> The impacts of AI adoption in the Irish labour market;
-> Ensuring ethical AI development to avoid bias, discrimination and misinformation; and
-> Addressing AI transparency to build public trust.
-> AI adoption in the context of public services in Ireland
-> AI has the potential to improve public service outcomes and to drive efficiency in the public sector. This can be encouraged by wider collaboration and the sharing of expertise between the public, private and academic sectors, as well as new and innovative approaches to public procurement. However, AI adoption in the context of public services must be supported by appropriate ethical frameworks, robust data privacy protections and human rights assessments. This work will propose strategies and advice to safely integrate AI in public services, while proposing measures to enhance public engagement and transparency in AI governance.
-> How prevalent is AI adoption in the context of public service delivery in Ireland?
-> How can AI improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery in Ireland?
-> What are the risks and opportunities associated with AI adoption in the context of public services and what safeguards are needed?
-> What are the emerging regulatory gaps as AI use becomes more prevalent in public service provision?
The impacts of AI adoption in the Irish labour market
In July 2024 NESC Ireland published Towards a National Better Work Strategy (Report 165). This report identified AI as a major strategic issue with the potential to transform the Irish labour market. This research found that AI is having a largely positive impact on job quality through the realisation of efficiency gains and the automation of tedious or repetitive forms of work. While AI does present a significant risk of labour market disruption, its effects to date have been largely complementary, with little discernible impact on overall employment levels. However, the time-lag in AI adoption continues to act as a constraint on labour displacement. The report calls for broader social dialogue and further research on the potential economic, social, political and environmental issues raised by AI.
Further research is required to understand emerging issues in AI adoption and workforce adaptation in Ireland considering a range of strategic policy issues:
-> How should labour market policies evolve to accommodate ongoing disruption due to AI adoption?
-> Which industries are most susceptible to AI disruption, and which offer growth opportunities?
-> Which sectors and demographics face the greatest need for reskilling initiatives?
-> What measures are necessary to address bias in AI systems that impact workers?
-> What are the ethical implications of AI adoption and resulting workforce transformation?
This research will provide actionable advice and insights for policymakers, businesses and workers, assisting in the realisation of more beneficial and equitable outcomes as AI continues to reshape the Irish labour market.
NESC is currently undertaking a robust programme of research revolving around Ireland’s energy sector. This programme of work began in 2024 following a discussion by the Council regarding key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the sector’s transition to net zero by 2050.
The programme has focused on a number of key issues in energy, primarily within the power and heat services, exploring how Ireland can achieve independence from fossil fuels by 2050 while at the same time enhancing well-being and leaving no one behind. The shared island was a cross-cutting theme of the work and involved extensive engagement including workshops and online discussion fora.
The work has so far resulted in both a series of interrelated Council Reports published throughout 2025 and a major conference held on Wednesday, 22 October – to find out more about what occurred at this memorable event please click here.
The first in the suite of reports was Ireland’s Future Power System and Economic Resilience, along with its associated background paper, and the research papers A Gravity Model Specification for Irish Green Energy Goods and Services and Future of the Gas Sector in Ireland.
This was followed by Council Report No.169, International Trade Dependencies and the Energy Transition, and Secretariat Paper No.37, Strategic Supply Chain Issues & Ireland’s Energy Transition, in July.
August saw the publication of Council Report No.170, Connecting People to the Energy Transition, and Secretariat Paper No.38, Energy Communities in Ireland: Progress, Challenges and Potential. Additional work is forthcoming in the area of Systems Analysis.
In addition to the Conference mentioned above, other events we organised ranged from a working meeting of national stakeholders in October 2024, to two energy systems workshops in November 2024 and April 2025, respectively – please click on the imbedded links above to find out more about each one.
NESC is currently examining the implementation of National Well-being Framework (WBF) and its impact on policy making. First developed in 2021, the WBF is a cross-government initiative to provide a holistic view of progress in Ireland. Earlier NESC work informed the development of the WBF in Ireland.
The current analysis will be informed by consultation with key stakeholders and experts, and consideration of EU developments and practice. This work is expected to be completed by the end of August 2026. NESC will report its findings to a Review Group led by the Department of the Taoiseach (DoT), together with the Department of Finance (DFIN) and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform, and Digitalisation (DPER).
Ireland’s sprawling pattern of development has long been of concern for economic, social, and environmental reasons. It results in higher costs of providing public services and infrastructure, and leads to high car dependency to meet daily needs. Ireland’s long term spatial plan, the National Planning Framework, sets out an alternative vision to this long-term pattern based on compact growth.
Compact growth involves having more growth within the boundaries of cities, towns, and villages. It includes developing new walkable neighbourhoods and making use of vacant and derelict property. NESC’s work on this topic examined Ireland’s performance in seeking to move to a pattern of compact growth, and the obstacles that will need to be overcome. A Council Report, Deepening Compact Growth in Ireland, was published in May 2025, outlining recommendations on how further progress can be made.
Please click here to access the full report and its corresponding secretariat paper.
The National Economic and Social Council’s stated vision for Ireland is a thriving, resilient economy, environment, and society, using innovation and collective preparedness to shape the future we want to achieve (NESC, 2020). As part of our programme of research and events to mark 50 years, NESC examined progress towards that vision.
The Council concluded that, amongst other things, Ireland needed more safe and open spaces that can interrogate and develop our capacity as a society to plan for a better future (NESC, 2024). The Council then made five commitments, including that NESC, through its established processes of social dialogue, would work on how Ireland can navigate forward, particularly in the face of deep forces for change, including profound geopolitical tensions.
NESC is currently scoping research in this area, exploring those elements of Ireland’s response to geopolitical turbulence which require societal buy-in to maximise legitimacy, and what actions the Government might take to ensure a successful, whole-of-society approach to social, economic, and environmental security, defence, resilience, and preparedness.
As part of its reflection during NESC@50 the Council committed to “form the basis for a positive pathway forward that helps us, as a society, to navigate at times of high uncertainty.”
Over 2025-2026 work will be carried out to explore what we mean by social cohesion, examine what is causing it to fracture, and how we might work towards the co-development of solutions to break down the barriers to positive change. This will involve engagements with citizens in order to hear directly on the theme of social cohesion.
In the second half of 2026, Ireland will host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. As the topic of social cohesion is one of several on the European agenda, NESC – through this work – will also engage with a number of other countries, primarily through its membership of the EESC. This will culminate in a Presidency event in Dublin – specifically, a conference bringing together stakeholders from across all sectors of society to hear from local, national, and European experts, share learning and best practice, and build connections.