Grow Remote’s Pre-Budget Submission 2027
Ireland has spent the last several years building something few other countries can claim: genuine depth in remote work. National broadband investment, flexible working legislation, a national Connected Hubs network, and the largest state-funded remote work training pilot scheme in Europe have given the country a real head start.
Grow Remote’s Pre-Budget Submission 2027, Consolidating Remote Work in Ireland’s Economic and Social Future, argues that Ireland is now at a decision point. The foundations are in place. What’s missing is a coordinated national framework to turn that early lead into lasting economic and social return, before it’s lost to return-to-office pressure and a lack of national targets.
As Grow Remote Co-Founder and Board member Tracy Keogh states in our submission’s foreword:
“The question for Budget 2027 is not whether Ireland has led to date. It is whether we will protect that lead, act on the data we now have, and invest in policy decisions that will actually deliver on more resilient communities and economic growth in the years ahead.”
The submission sets out four targeted, evidence-based asks.
1. Consolidate Ireland as a leader in remote work and increase the supply of jobs
Over 100,000 remote jobs are advertised across the European Economic Area every month, and up to 350,000 existing jobs in Ireland could be done remotely if the right supports were in place. Yet Ireland has no national target for remote job creation, and enterprise agency frameworks, built around site-based employment, don’t currently capture distributed employers. Grow Remote is calling for a National Remote Jobs Strategy: a defined national target for remote jobs, a dedicated unit within existing enterprise agencies to bring more remote employers to Ireland, and a role for Ireland in leading the conversation on remote work at EU level.
This recommendation supports, amongst others, two key existing government strategies in the National Digital and AI Strategy 2030, and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment’s Sectoral Capital Plan 2026-2030.
2. Empower employers to compete and be productive in the future of work
82% of Irish businesses report critical skills gaps, and 73% report recruitment difficulties. Remote and hybrid models widen the talent pool employers can draw on and helps retain top talent, but many SMEs, who make up over 70% of Ireland’s private sector, are being left to navigate this transition without the structured support they need. Getting this right isn’t optional: it’s what determines whether Irish businesses can compete for talent and productivity in a market where their competitors already have. Grow Remote recommends a funded National Remote Work Skills Training Plan, building on programmes already in delivery, to equip managers, employees, and career changers with the skills to thrive in digital, distributed workplaces, and to ensure Irish businesses and their people are positioned to compete in the future of work.
This recommendation supports, amongst others, two key existing government strategies in the Ireland’s 2022 Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity and aligns with Skillnet Ireland’s 2026-2028 Empowering Enterprise strategy.
3. Harness remote work to unlock social and environmental benefits
Remote and hybrid working reached an annual average of 998,000 people in 2025, nearly double the pre-pandemic baseline. That scale brings real opportunity, but also real risk: isolation among remote workers is a documented concern internationally. Since 2018, Grow Remote’s volunteer-led local chapters have run over 850 events across 150 communities, with more than 90% of attendees reporting improved wellbeing and reduced isolation. The submission recommends sustained investment in this community programme, empowering local volunteers to build community and make remote work visible and accessible.
This recommendation supports, amongst others, two key existing government strategies in the Our Rural Future, and the Climate Action Plan.
4. Build the national data infrastructure for remote work policy
Ireland still can’t fully measure what it’s trying to lead in. Current Census and Labour Force Survey data doesn’t capture employer-side practices or distinguish clearly between fully remote, hybrid, and onsite models. Grow Remote recommends evolved Census and LFS questions, and a new Distributed Work Employers Index to provide continuous, employer-side evidence between survey cycles.
This recommendation supports, amongst others, a key existing government strategy in the Sectoral Capital Plan 2026-2030, and aligns with the Western Development Commission’s strategy.
Why This Matters Now
Remote work is no longer a pandemic-era measure. It is a structural feature of Ireland’s labour market, and a lever for delivering on social, economic, and environmental commitments the government has already made. The submission argues that the roles, the talent, and the infrastructure all exist, and that remote work delivers real benefit when it’s managed intentionally. What’s needed now is a national strategy to bring them together.
Read the full Pre-Budget Submission 2027 here 👇
Consolidating Remote Work in Ireland’s Economic and Social Future
Grow Remote is an Irish social enterprise. It is on a mission to solve the challenges of remote work in order to unlock positive social, economic, and environmental change for individuals, employers, and local communities across Ireland.
Contact
T: 091 885808
W: growremote.ie
E: hello@growremote.ie
