The New Careerists: Why Top Professionals Are Choosing Temporary Roles

Introduction: A Shift in What “Career” Means

For decades, Irish professionals were told that success meant permanence – one employer, steady progression, a gold watch at the end. But in today’s economy, that script has flipped.

Across Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick, a growing cohort of experienced professionals – finance managers, analysts, project coordinators, compliance officers, HR specialists – are choosing temporary and contract roles as part of a deliberate, strategic career path.

These “new careerists” aren’t drifting. They’re optimising. They’re looking for flexibility, exposure, and autonomy – and they’re shaping Ireland’s white-collar workforce in ways few employers predicted.

 

The Irish Context: A Tight Market Breeding Flexibility

Ireland’s labour market remains one of the strongest in Europe, but it’s also one of the most pressurised. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), total employment reached 2.79 million in Q1 2025 – up 3.3% year-on-year – with unemployment holding at 4.3%.

That means most skilled professionals are already working – and many employers are struggling to recruit or retain permanent staff. Add in rising cost-of-living pressures, burnout, and hybrid work fatigue, and you have fertile ground for alternative career models.

Temporary and contract work, once seen as a fallback, has become a viable – even attractive – solution for both sides of the market.

A 2024 report from IBEC noted that flexibility has become a top-three driver of employee retention, with 72% of employers now offering hybrid or non-standard work arrangements.

 

The Data Behind the Trend

While temporary roles remain a minority of Ireland’s workforce, their significance is growing.

• In pre-pandemic data, 2.6% of Irish employees identified as agency or temporary workers (CSO Agency Worker Estimates).
• Younger professionals (18–24) are six times more likely to hold temporary contracts than those aged over 25, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
• A 2023 OECD Employment Outlook reported that 22% of European workers now view short-term contracts as “career positive,” up from 15% in 2018.

The trend isn’t just about entry-level roles. At Elevate Partners, we’ve seen senior accountants, project managers, and even interim CFOs opting for six-month or twelve-month contracts — attracted by autonomy, better balance, and the ability to focus on delivery rather than corporate politics.

 

The Motivations: Why Professionals Choose Temporary Work

1. Autonomy and Self-Management

Today’s professionals crave agency. The rigid hierarchy of traditional employment doesn’t appeal in the same way it once did. Contract roles offer clear deliverables, fixed timelines, and less bureaucracy – a more results-driven style of working that appeals to self-starters.

A LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report found that 76% of professionals now prioritise flexibility over job security.

Temporary work lets them choose when, where, and how they deliver value – and then step away when the project is complete.

 

2. Diverse Experience and Skill Expansion

Many contract professionals talk about “career acceleration” rather than instability. Working across multiple sectors – from financial services to renewable energy – provides exposure to systems, teams, and business challenges that deepen their expertise faster than staying put.

A professional who completes three six-month assignments across banking, insurance, and tech learns more operational variety in 18 months than many permanent staff do in five years.

In Ireland’s compact but dynamic business ecosystem, that cross-sector agility is gold.

 

3. Earning Power and Negotiation Leverage

Temporary roles often come with higher day rates – particularly for finance, compliance, or project management professionals.

While permanent employees benefit from stability and perks, temporary professionals often negotiate based on output and urgency. For example, a qualified accountant on a daily rate contract may earn 20–25% more over a six-month period than the equivalent salaried employee.

Crucially, contractors can pause between roles without stigma, enabling genuine work-life balance.

 

4. Reduced “Fit” Risk

Permanent mis-hires are expensive for both sides. Temporary contracts let companies and individuals test compatibility before making long-term commitments.

That “try before you buy” dynamic is powerful. It’s one reason why temp-to-perm conversions are rising across professional services in Ireland – something seen in Elevate’s own data, where high-performing temps frequently transition to permanent roles once fit and performance are proven.

 

5. Rebalancing and Burnout Recovery

After years of pandemic disruption, many professionals have re-evaluated what “career success” means. For some, that means stepping back from full-time intensity to rebalance.

A 2023 Chartered Accountants Ireland survey found that 59% of finance professionals had considered leaving their roles due to stress or lack of flexibility.

Temporary work provides breathing space – a way to remain economically active and professionally relevant without the constant long-term load.

 

The Employer Side: Why Businesses Are Embracing the Shift

This isn’t just about worker preference. Employers are adapting too.

1. Agility and Cost Control

For organisations navigating economic uncertainty, temporary hiring is a form of strategic insurance. It allows them to scale up for projects, maternity cover, or regulatory change – without long-term headcount risk.

Temporary contracts can be extended, converted, or concluded depending on results, giving Finance and HR teams the ability to manage budgets dynamically.

2. Access to Immediate Expertise

Irish firms in financial services, renewables, and tech now use contract professionals to plug specific knowledge gaps – data migration, IFRS 17 projects, ESG reporting.

In many cases, contractors deliver targeted expertise unavailable internally, often starting within days.

3. Reduced Time to Hire

Permanent recruitment processes can take six to eight weeks or longer, particularly in regulated industries. A temporary hire through a specialist partner can be completed in under two weeks — a major advantage when deadlines loom.

4. A Testbed for Talent

Employers can observe contract professionals in real-world conditions. Those who excel are often offered full-time positions, improving retention and fit.

According to CIPD Ireland, 48% of HR leaders say they’ve used contract roles as a key component of workforce planning in the past year.

 

Common Myths About Temporary Work

Myth 1: “Temps aren’t as committed.”
In reality, most professionals on contract care deeply about reputation. Their future work depends on delivering quality results, not clocking time.

Myth 2: “Temporary workers are only for junior roles.”
That may have been true 20 years ago, but not now. Interim executives and specialists are common in finance, operations, and compliance – especially post-Brexit and during regulatory transitions.

Myth 3: “You lose cultural continuity.”
Strong onboarding, inclusion, and recognition prevent this. High-performing temps often become cultural connectors – bridging departments and injecting new practices from previous employers.

 

Building a Workforce Model That Works

To make the most of this shift, Irish employers should consider a blended workforce model, combining permanent staff for stability with temporary professionals for agility.

Key success factors include:

1. Proactive workforce planning – forecasting when seasonal or project demand will spike.
2. Clear communication – defining contract objectives and timelines upfront.
3. Recognition and inclusion – ensuring contract staff are integrated into meetings, updates, and wins.
4. Performance tracking – evaluate on output, not tenure.
5. Strategic partnerships – work with recruiters who understand both temp and perm markets.

This approach turns temporary staffing from a reactive measure into a proactive talent strategy.

 

The Road Ahead: What It Means for Ireland’s Workforce

Ireland’s economy continues to attract global investment – from finance and tech to energy and infrastructure. As projects multiply and regulatory demands grow, so will the need for specialist short-term expertise.

According to the OECD, by 2030, up to 30% of the European workforce will engage in some form of contingent or contract work.

That doesn’t mean the end of permanent employment – it means a recalibration. Professionals will blend permanent, temporary, and project roles across their careers. Employers that embrace that flexibility – and respect it – will be better positioned to attract Ireland’s best talent.

 

Conclusion: The Age of the New Careerist

Temporary work is no longer the back door into employment – it’s the front line of how skilled professionals want to work.

They’re not choosing instability; they’re choosing freedom, variety, and control. For employers, that presents both a challenge and an opportunity: adapt to this reality, or risk missing out on exceptional talent.

 

About Elevate Partners

At Elevate Partners, we help organisations across Ireland build agile, high-performing teams through temporary, contract, and permanent recruitment. Our consultants specialise in finance, accounting, compliance, and business support — connecting top professionals with opportunities that align to their goals and your business outcomes.