The Health Service Executive is to decide next week whether the the ban on recruiting new staff in the health service will continue into October.
After a three-hour meeting with health unions the Executive warned that significant adjustments would have to be made for it to stay within budget this year.
The HSE has exceeded its budget this year by €245m.
Both sides are to meet again on Monday to discuss the issues.
The head of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Liam Doran, said unions had deep difficulties with the situation.
Health unions representing nearly 100,000 staff are seeking assurances that the temporary staff freeze this month will not be extended further. The recruitment freeze came into effect on 5 September.
Going into the talks, Liam Doran, General Secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, said unions wanted a recognition from the HSE that cutbacks could not be imposed without meeting the requirements under Social Partnership.
Mr Doran said the cuts introduced this month were already having a major impact on services and they must be reversed.
The moratorium applies to the promotion and recruitment of existing and new staff, either on a temporary, permanent or replacement basis in hospitals and other health facilities.
But BreastCheck's cancer screening service is not affected by the freeze.
