The AI skills gap in Northern Ireland: what HR business leaders told us
Published on: 17/06/2026
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Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Emma Grossmith Managing Associate, Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Emma Grossmith Managing Associate, Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Emma grossmith
LinkedIn

Emma is qualified in both England & Wales, and Northern Ireland.  Emma has also worked extensively in Scotland and regularly advises clients with staff all over the UK.

Emma has over 20 years' experience advising on employment matters, including equalities issues, employment documentation, capability, disciplinary and grievance management (including advising on complex investigations), dismissals and settlement negotiations, collective and individual redundancies and defending clients from tribunal claims (including those in the industrial and fair Employment Tribunals in Northern Ireland).

Orla Bingham Managing Knowledge Lawyer, Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Orla Bingham Managing Knowledge Lawyer, Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Orla bingham 930

As a Managing Knowledge Lawyer, I'm part of a team of specialist lawyers who help keep our clients and colleagues on top of developments in the rapidly changing world of employment law and policy.

I focus on ensuring clients and colleagues have the tools, training and resources to stay up to date with developments in employment law and its implications for their organisations.

I draw from my extensive experience working as an employment lawyer in London, as well as in previous roles as a Practice Development Lawyer (PDL) and knowledge manager in a leading international firm, based in Belfast.

Employment Law Team at Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Employment Law Team at Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP
Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin works with leading businesses to protect and enhance their most important assets - their ideas, their people and their future. We call it: Ideas. People. Possibilities.

Our Belfast office provides comprehensive employment law services across the UK and the island of Ireland. We are recognised by clients and industry alike for our distinctive culture, deep local expertise, and market-leading practice areas.

Our team of dual-qualified lawyers offers clear, pragmatic, and commercial advice on all aspects of employment law – from recruitment to departure and everything in between. We have particular strength in handling complex and multijurisdictional matters with a practical and human approach.

We also support clients in specialist areas including:

Employment tribunal and High Court litigation
Workplace investigations
Data, privacy and cyber issues
Immigration

We surveyed 66 HR leaders and senior decision makers across Northern Ireland to find out how AI is impacting their work and workforce planning.


The results from our survey suggest that organisations are less concerned about having access to the right AI tools and more concerned that they may lack the skills to use those tools responsibly and productively. In this, NI leaders appear to demonstrate a greater understanding of what they need to bridge the AI gap than many of the respondents in our international Future @ Work 2026 report. Whilst NI HR leaders recognise that investment in people - and not just technology – is critical, the evidence suggests this is still not adequately reflected in spending choices.

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 17/06/2026