The Talent Fix: Future of Hiring and Recruitment Innovation

Today on The Talent Fix, we’re unpacking the future of skills in Ireland and what it really means for CEOs, HR leaders, and recruiters trying to hire in an increasingly competitive market.
I’m joined by Shauna Dunlop, Director of Research, Future Skills Needs, Statistics and Risk at SOLAS. Shauna leads the teams responsible for tracking labour market trends, forecasting future skills demand, and informing the education and training systems shaping Ireland’s workforce.
In this episode, we discuss what the latest SOLAS research tells us about current and emerging skill shortages, where the real opportunities are for Irish businesses, and how organisations can better access and leverage upskilling initiatives to stay competitive.
If you are responsible for workforce planning, hiring strategy, or long-term business growth, this conversation will help you connect skills data to real hiring decisions.

Barry Prost speaks with Fidelma McGuirk, Founder and CEO of Payslip. With 21 years of international leadership experience and teams built across 25 countries, Fidelma shares a practical look at hiring, culture and the real impact of AI on modern work.
We dive into:
• Why 58 percent of EU businesses struggle to hire ICT and engineering talent
• How Payslip attracts developers out of large banks
• Building culture across Ireland, Spain and Bulgaria
• Why remote first is harder than most CEOs admit
• The monthly CEO led onboarding session she still runs
• The licence to innovate rule and how it drives better ideas
• AI replacing tasks not people and what that means for teams
• How project management and engineering work are changing with AI tools

If you are a founder, CEO or HR leader trying to hire, scale or retain high impact talent in fintech or tech, this conversation will give you a grounded, real world view of what is working today.

In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost speaks with Andrew Hines, Lecturer in Computer Science at University College Dublin, about the real impact of AI on jobs and what skills will continue to matter most.
We explore:
What generative AI can and can’t do in the workplace

Why “AI shepherds” are emerging as a crucial role

The biggest misconceptions about AI in hiring

The skills future graduates (and current leaders) can’t afford to ignore

Whether humans will remain “in the loop” or be pushed out

Andrew also shares insights from his work in speech AI, discusses the AI arms race in recruitment, and explains why critical thinking still trumps prompt engineering.
Whether you’re a hiring leader, HR pro, or just wondering how to stay relevant in the AI era, this episode delivers the clarity you need.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & Guest Welcome
00:49 – What Jobs Will AI Actually Replace?
02:00 – What Gen AI Can and Can’t Do
04:30 – Deterministic vs Stochastic AI
06:00 – AI’s Limits in Structured Environments
08:10 – Why Voice & Translation AI Still Fall Short
10:30 – What Are “AI Shepherds” and Why We Need Them
12:30 – The Case for Keeping a Human in the Loop
14:20 – AI Bias and Cultural Blind Spots
16:00 – Empathy, Context, and Hiring in an AI World
17:40 – The Skills That Still Matter
20:50 – Why AI Literacy Is Critical for All Careers
23:00 – The AI Arms Race in Recruitment
25:45 – Final Thoughts: Balance, Ethics, and Opportunity

Read more on AI in Recruitment: https://rentarecruiter.com/ai-recruitment-leading-with-ethics-and-accountability/

In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost talks to Vanessa Wainwright, Founder & CEO of Abodoo, about how Skills Intelligence is transforming the way we work, learn, and hire. Discover why a Skills Passport, task-based jobs, and a common skills language are key to the future of work — and how organisations can implement a winning Skills Intelligence Strategy today.As the skills landscape changes rapidly — with 56% of businesses saying their core skills changed in the last 2 years, and 59% expecting more change by 2027 (Skillnet) — understanding what skills you will need and how to acquire them is becoming critical for both employers and employees.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
01:01 – The story behind the name “Abodoo”
01:41 – Why a skills-first hiring approach matters
03:13 – Creating individualised skills pathways for every employee
04:25 – The chaos of skills taxonomies & how Abodoo solves it
06:51 – The outdated CV problem & rise of Skills AI
07:45 – 55,000+ skills & keeping up with change
08:13 – Tools like Skills Lens & Core Skills First System
09:10 – The Skills Passport: What it is and how it works
09:46 – Most in-demand skills of the next 5 years
11:14 – Lifelong learning & empowering employees
12:52 – Calculating the true cost of your skills gap
14:19 – Mapping skills and personalising learning pathways
15:51 – Skills marketplaces & internal mobility
16:56 – Why jobs are evolving into tasks
17:57 – Task-based hiring: What’s next
18:39 – The importance of educating business leaders
20:11 – Future role of Chief Skills Officer
22:43 – Visualising your real-time skills assets
23:31 – Measuring skills levels & transferable skills
24:57 – Building fulfilling, flexible careers
26:13 – How to sign up for Abodoo’s Skills First Workshop
Sign up for the Skills First Masterclass: https://abodoo.com

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In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost speaks with Dr. John McMackin, Associate Professor at DCU Business School, to explore why traditional CVs are becoming obsolete — and how a skills-first approach can futureproof your hiring strategy.From skills taxonomies to internal mobility barriers, we unpack the research and offer practical advice for HR and TA leaders navigating this evolving landscape.
00:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome
00:54 - Skills vs Experience in Hiring
02:20 - Why Skills Predict Performance Better Than Qualifications04:55 - Challenges of Adopting a Skills-First Approach
06:45 - Importance of Shared Skills Language (Taxonomy)
09:00 - Resistance to Skills Transparency & Internal Mobility
12:00 - Starting with Pilot Projects in Skills-Based Hiring13:30 - How to Assess Skills Beyond the CV
15:40 - The Role of Self-Assessment & Performance Management
17:00 - Rethinking Job Descriptions & Qualifications
19:45 - Addressing Bias in Hiring Decisions
21:00 - Skills Passports: Empowering Employee Development
22:50 - Where to Access the Full Research
23:30 - Closing Remarks & Outro
About Rent a Recruiter
Rent a Recruiter is a B2B embedded recruitment agency helping high-growth and enterprise companies scale their talent acquisition with flexible, cost-effective hiring solutions. Our embedded recruiters work as an extension of your internal team, helping you find top talent faster, smarter, and with less risk.We specialise in scalable recruitment across sectors and empower businesses with a skills-first mindset to match the right people to the right roles.

Want to learn more or book a consultation?Visit https://rentarecruiter.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn.