The survey found that the private healthcare and ICT sectors were most likely to have moved towards more casual attire, while those respondents working in the property sector were most likely to say their workplace had gone more formal.

Savills research also found while the simple suit – which dates back to the 1900s – might no longer be a staple of every man’s wardrobe, nine in ten still have at least one hanging on the rail.  However, more than half the number of women surveyed said they do not own a suit.

Commenting on the survey findings, Kate O’Hanrahan, HR Associate at Savills Ireland said:

“The world of work has undergone somewhat of a revolution in recent years. The shift towards hybrid work and working from home has had a major impact on how people are now dressing for work. But in a more general sense, there has also been a broadening of the parameters of what attire is deemed ‘acceptable’”.

Kate went on to comment,

“While traditionally, people have often dressed to fit into the workplace, the last decade has seen a trend towards more varied workplace wear. One in four (25pc) people say that work attire hasn’t necessarily gone in one direction or another but that it has simply become more varied now – from smart to casual to comfortable, depending on the person.

It still stands to reason though that where you work and which industry you work in is going to have a bearing, and often a significant one, on what you notice when it comes to clothes in the workplace.”

Overall, four in ten respondents to the Savills survey (40pc) said work attire had become more casual over the last decade. Workers in private healthcare (58pc), ICT (53pc), the public sector (50pc), public education (47pc), financial services (45pc) and retail (44pc) were more likely to have noticed this trend.

Kate added

“While a casual dress code can help employees feel more comfortable and relaxed in the workplace and focus on their work, rather than what they’re wearing, workers should realise there is a limit to just how casually dressed they can be. 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.”

Additional highlights from the Savills Evolution of Work Survey include:

• For one in ten (9pc), workplace attire has become more formal over the last ten years, with those working in property the most likely to have noticed colleagues dressing more formally today.
• People who have a hybrid work set up were most likely to have noticed a move towards more casual attire, with more than half (51pc) stating as much.

• Almost half (48pc) of all Dublin respondents believe work attire has become more casual over the last decade – but less than one in three (30pc) of those living in Connacht and Ulster feel this way.
• People in Dublin were most likely to say they have noticed changes in work attire over the last ten years (81pc) – compared to 72pc for the rest of Leinster and just 61pc of those living in Connacht and Ulster.
• Almost four in ten (38pc) respondents in the West and North of the country said they hadn’t noticed any changes in workplace attire and that people look more or less the same. This compares to less than one in five (19pc) Dubliners.

Kate observed,

“Our survey revealed that one in three adult workers in Ireland don’t own a suit - but it’s important to take a closer look at this data to really get a clear picture of suit ownership. Gender probably has the biggest bearing on whether or not someone owns a suit – while 55pc of female respondents said they don’t own one, just 10pc of men said the same. What’s more, the greatest portion of men (33pc) said they have two suits in their wardrobe – compared to just 14pc of women.

And while we might have thought that age would play a greater role in this, it does not seem to be the case:  32pc of those aged over 55 said they did not own a suit, rising only to 38pc of the youngest age cohort (18 – 29).

The day of the suit is far from over – but it’s place in the working environment is definitely changing.”

On suit ownership in the wardrobes of Irish workers, other notable findings from the Savills survey included:

• Only a tiny proportion (2pc) of people rent suits as they need them, with those aged 18-29 most inclined to do so (5pc).
• Those working in logistics, travel or transport were most likely to have at least one suit in their wardrobe (84pc). The other professionals most likely to own at least one suit were those working in property (81pc) and manufacturing (83pc).
• Those least likely to own a suit were workers in private education (55pc had none), public education (43pc), the public sector (39pc) and agriculture (38pc).
• People who work onsite are the least likely to own a suit (38pc do not own one), whereas those who work fully in an office are the most likely to do so (just 23pc do not own one).