Four in 10 people say the dress code in Irish offices has become more casual over the last decade, a new survey has found.

Commissioned by property advisor Savills Ireland, the survey shows that office attire has “changed significantly” - particularly in the areas of private healthcare and in the ICT sectors.

It also found one-in-four respondents thought office attire had become ‘more varied' while one in ten said it had become ‘more formal’.

Savills Ireland HR Associate Kate O’Hanrahan said the world has undergone “somewhat of a revolution in recent years” which has led to a change in dressing habits.

“The shift towards hybrid work and working from home has had a major impact on how people are now dressing for work,” she said.

“But in a more general sense, there has also been a broadening of the parameters of what attire is deemed ‘acceptable.’”

“While traditionally, people have often dressed to fit into the workplace, the last decade has seen a trend towards more varied workplace wear.”

A man wearing a suit in an office. Image: NakoPhotography / Alamy Stock Photo

The popularity of suits has stood the test of time, according to the survey, which found 90% of men still have a suit in their wardrobe.

Just 55% of female respondents said they owned a suit, according to Ms O’Hanrahan.

“The day of the suit is far from over – but its place in the working environment is definitely changing,” she said.

“Our survey revealed that one in three adult workers in Ireland don’t own a suit.

“It is important that employees are presentable when in the workplace and for this reason, we could see employers starting to enforce stricter dress codes, particularly as more people return to the office.”

The survey found those least likely to own a suit were workers in private education (55% had none), public education (43%), the public sector (39%) and agriculture (38%).