Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy McGrath raising this issue. It is something we are all experiencing and all of us are being contacted by employers who are struggling to recruit staff as well as to bring staff in from abroad. We have an internal market within the EU of approximately 450 million people. Even within such a large pool, it is proving very difficult to attract people with the requisite skills into Ireland. We acknowledge that the turnaround times for employment permits are too long, and the Tánaiste and his officials are working on this with a view to improving them. It is the case that if an employment permit is urgently needed, a request to have a specific application expedited can be made. It will be considered in exceptional cases and must be accompanied by a compelling business case that sets out the individual circumstances involved. The number of such applications has increased significantly. Relative to 2019, applications are up by 47%. It is part of the rebound we are seeing after Covid.

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