Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s employment permits system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term but this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. The system is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit where it is evidenced that there is sufficient availability of those skills in the domestic and EEA labour market.

In order to ensure the employment permits system is aligned with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo regular, evidence-based review guided by relevant research, a public/stakeholder consultation, the views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group and relevant policy Departments, in this case the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage. Account is also taken of upskilling and training initiatives and other known contextual factors, such as the ending of the pandemic unemployment payment schemes and the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis, and their impact on the labour market.

The construction sector was the subject of reviews of the last couple of years, with a significant number of occupations added to the Critical Skills Occupations List early in 2019 and then again later that year.

The submission from the sector to the most recent review, supported by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, requested a number of roles remaining on the Ineligible Occupations List be removed and become eligible for employment permits. In recognition of the challenges faced by the sector and strong evidence of continued labour shortages, that request was granted in full, the result being that almost all roles in the construction sector are now eligible for employment permits.

Changes to the employment permit occupations lists are made where there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available, development opportunities are not undermined, genuine skills shortage exists rather than a recruitment or retention problem and Government education, training and economic development policies are supported.

My Department continues to review the employment permits system in light of changing labour market circumstances and the construction sector will be considered in the context of the next review of the occupations lists to be undertaken by the end of the year.  When the next review commences, submissions will be invited from sector representative bodies and interested parties via the Public Consultation Form which will be accessible on the Department’s website throughout the consultation period.