Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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225.To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if, given the skills shortage in areas such as construction, healthcare, teaching, farming, and caring, there are plans to progress a skills audit of people in the international protection system, with a view to harmonising skills and qualifications here; how much this would cost in the first year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24626/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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According to the latest employment figures from the CSO’s Labour Force Survey, published on 23 May 2024, total employment stood at 2.71 million. There are now more people employed in Ireland than ever before. As per the CSO Statistical Release on Monthly Unemployment from early June, the seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 4.0% in May 2024. In the context of this tight labour market, it is essential that Irish enterprises have access to an adequate pool of high quality, adaptable and flexible talent.

In order to meet the demand for skills, there is close collaboration across Government, in particular between the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, its agencies and my own Department, as well as between Government, industry, and the education and training system, in order to build and retain a highly skilled workforce to serve the needs of the economy.

My Department operates the Government’s employment permits system which is highly responsive to areas of identified skills needs and labour shortages across the economy. The system is, by design, vacancy led and driven by the changing needs of the labour market. The employment permits system is managed through the operation of the critical skills and ineligible occupations lists which determine employments that are either in high demand or are ineligible for consideration for an employment permit.

It is outside of my Department’s responsibility to progress a skills audit of people in the international protection system and, therefore, it is not something that has been costed by my Department. The International Protection Office, under the Department of Justice, is responsible for processing applications for international protection. The National Academic Recognition Information Centre, under Quality and Qualifications Ireland and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, provide information on over 1,700 qualifications from more than 160 countries and allows individuals, including people with refugee status or who have subsidiary protection, to download a comparability statement that compares their academic qualification to an Irish qualification of a similar major award type and level on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, where possible. The matter of a skills audit could potentially be raised with the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.