Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the Chamber. I welcome the support for the Bill, which will modernise the employment permits system. Although the current system is strong, it is not flexible. Flexibility is required in this area. This legislation will provide for a system of employment permits that is more responsive and capable of adjusting as the labour market changes. With more than 2.7 million people at work in Ireland, the Bill will allow us to better compete for global talent to fill the labour market gaps, support local enterprises and encourage foreign direct investment, while also protecting the rights of workers.

The general policy of the State is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Union and other EEA states. Policy in respect of applications for employment permits remains focused on facilitating the recruitment from outside the EEA of highly skilled personnel where the requisite skills cannot be met by normal recruitment or training. For the purpose of the employment permits system, occupations fall into three categories. Occupations listed on the critical skills occupations list are highly skilled professionals who are in demand and not always available within the resident labour force. Ineligible occupations are those where there is evidence that there are more than enough Irish or EEA workers to fill such vacancies. Every other job in the labour market for which an employer cannot find a worker is eligible for an employment permit. For these applications, the employer is required to undertake the labour market needs test. For example, an employer must advertise the job for four weeks. If no suitable candidate applies for the job, the employer is free to apply for an employment permit. As Members will be aware, the Bill has been developed partially in response to the review of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment of the economic migration policy in 2018 and in response to a recent increase in demand for employment permits by the business community to secure a suitable, skilled people for its operations. The Department's review of the economic migration policy in 2018 concluded that while the employment permits system provides a robust framework to supplement skills and labour needs in the State, the current legislation imposes considerable inflexibility in its operations. The review recommended new legislation to increase the agility and responsiveness of the system to modernise it and ensure it can adapt to rapid changes in the needs of the labour market in the future and fluctuations in demand contingent on the economic cycle.

Members will be aware that Ireland is currently an outlier regarding seasonal employment permits. The vast majority of European countries offer these types of permits, yet Ireland does not. Seasonal work has always occurred, particularly in agriculture and horticulture. This legislation will address the need for seasonal permits.

I welcome the legislation and believe it is necessary to modernise our employment permits system and enhance the flexibility in that system, which is required.