Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2022
168. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the critical staff shortages in the hospitality sector in both skilled and unskilled levels; the steps that have been taken to address these skills shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24780/22]
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.
The lists are reviewed twice a year to ensure their ongoing relevance to the State’s human capital requirements, guided by available research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), and the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS. Cognisance is also taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and contextual factors such as Brexit and COVID-19 and their impact on the labour market. The views of the relevant policy Departments are taken into account as well as those of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group which my Department chairs and on which a number of Departments, including the Department of Health are represented.
Access to employment permits was widened for all grades of Chef in 2019, with restrictions as to quota or limit per establishment also removed; experienced Executive Chefs, Head Chefs, Sous Chefs, Chef de Partie and Commis Chefs can apply for a General Employment Permit to work in a restaurant establishment, at a remuneration level of at least €30,000.
The next review of the occupations lists is expected to commence with a public consultation in Q2 2022. When open, 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.
My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. From the start of January to the end of December 2021, some 27,666 applications were received, representing a 69% increase over the same period in 2020 (16,293) and a 47% increase on 2019 (18,811), which itself represented an 11 year high in applications.
My Department issued 16,275 employment permits in 2021, and processed a total of 17,968 applications which represents a significant volume of activity. In addition, the extension of categories of employment permits following the latest Review of the Occupational Lists has increased the availability of employment permits.
My Department recognises the impact delays in the processing times for work permits has for businesses and their workers and significant resources have been allocated to processing times. An internal plan of action has been implemented which has increased resources and introduced more efficient methods of processing applications in the permits system. The processing team has trebled in size and daily output has more than tripled compared to 2021 levels.
