Written answers
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Work Permits
William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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466. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment given the labour market is tight and many enterprises are reporting skill shortages, the immediate steps his Department is taking to expand the occupations eligible for employment permits; the way in which processing times for permits are being improved; the supports which are in place for upskilling, reskilling and matching domestic labour supply in sectors critical to enterprise growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62204/25]
Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Ireland operates a managed employment permits system, maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills or labour shortages in the State in the short to medium term. This objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish or EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is genuine.
The employment permits system is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills Occupations List and the Ineligible Occupations List. These lists, respectively, set out skills that are in high demand or are employments that are not eligible for consideration for an employment permit.
In July 2025, my department launched a Review of the Occupations List. This is a key step in ensuring that Ireland’s employment permits system continues to align with the evolving needs of the labour market. This review generated an unprecedented level of engagement, receiving the highest number of submissions ever recorded for a consultation of this kind.
The public consultation invited evidence-based submissions from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including employers, industry bodies, employment permit users, government departments, agencies, and other interested parties. The review process integrates:
- Research conducted by SOLAS’s Skills and Labour Market Research Unit
- Insights from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs
- Contributions from relevant policy departments
- Input from the Economic Migration Inter-Departmental Group
In addition to the Review of the Occupations Lists, my department remains highly proactive in engaging with sectors that face immediate and evolving challenges related to migration policy.
Beyond the formal review process, we maintain ongoing dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders across the economy. This includes targeted engagement with industries experiencing acute skills shortages, sectors undergoing rapid transformation, and regions with unique labour market dynamics. Our goal is to ensure that migration policy remains responsive, evidence-based, and aligned with Ireland’s broader economic and social objectives.
The launch of Employment Permits Online (EPO) in April 2025 marked a significant milestone in the digital transformation of Ireland’s migration services. This modern, cloud-based platform has streamlined the way employment permit applications are submitted, processed and issued.
The digital transformation of a complex system such as employment permits can present challenges for service users and staff alike. One such challenge has been longer than usual processing times for employment permits.
The Department has worked strenuously to address this issue, and the system is now back to a "business as usual" status. Processing timelines have been steadily decreasing, and the Department is confident that this positive trend will continue over the rest of Q4.
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