Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
159. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider amending the employment permit programme to include therapists for spa facilities given the inability of hotel owners to recruit within the EEA zone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3155/22]
View answerThe State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time.
The system is, by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the occupation lists: the critical skills list in respect of skills that are in critical shortage in the labour market and the ineligible occupations lists for which a ready source of labour is available from within Ireland and the EEA.
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.
The occupations lists are subject to twice yearly evidence-based review and take account of research undertaken by the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SOLAS) and the Expert Group of Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), a public consultation process, input from the relevant policy Departments and the Economic Migration Inter-Departmental Group, chaired by the Department. Account is also taken of contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID 19.
The role of Spa Therapist is currently on the Ineligible Occupations List and is not eligible for an employment permit. Submissions from the sector were considered during the 2019 review, the findings of which were that no evidence of shortages existed and job churn was a factor at the time. The report also recommended the sector develop greater structured engagement with the Department of Social Protection Employer Engagement Services.
The next review of the Occupations Lists will open in the coming weeks by Public Consultation.
