Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
455. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if working visa restrictions will be relaxed to allow working visas for persons (details supplied) outside the EU. [45742/18]
View answer456. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if working visa restrictions will be relaxed to allow working visas for people (details supplied) outside the EU. [45743/18]
View answer457. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if working visa restrictions will be relaxed to allow working visas for people (details supplied) outside the EU. [45744/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 455 to 457, inclusive, together.
Ireland operates a managed employment permits system which maximises the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. Current Government policy is to issue employment permits for the employment of non-EEA nationals for specific vacancies and where the positions on offer cannot be reasonably filled from within Ireland, Switzerland and the EEA.
Access to a high quality, innovative and adaptable talent pool is critical for the sustainable growth of the Irish economy and keeping Ireland competitive.
Employment permits are part of the response to addressing skills needs likely to continue into the medium term. Employment permit policy has focussed on facilitating the recruitment of highly skilled personnel from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) where skills needs cannot be met by normal recruitment or training. The Employment Permits system is not orientated towards any particular country or region and almost all non-EEA nationals, including citizens from the Philippines, Brazil and the wider South American region can apply for an employment permit if all conditions are satisfied.
The system for determining eligibility for employment permits is flexible and responsive to change with the list of eligible occupations reviewed on a bi-annual basis. However, it is not intended as a long-term substitute for upskilling the State’s resident workforce or sourcing skills from within the EEA. In undertaking any adjustment in the orientation of the system, the interests of the some 210,700 people on the Live Register in Ireland and the 16.5 million unemployed in the EU 28 must be remembered.
In light of the changing economy and as we continue towards near full employment, it is imperative that the employment permits system is correctly oriented to meet the State’s labour market needs. To that end, I recently published a report reviewing the economic migration policies underpinning the current employment permits system to ensure our policies are fully supportive of Ireland’s labour market needs, be they skills or labour shortages in certain sectors. The report confirms that our employment permits system is largely robust with some adjustment required to ensure continued responsiveness, setting out recommendations to be addressed over the short, medium and long term that will ensure that our employment permits system will play its part in supporting Ireland's labour market needs.
