The Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT) is one of several statutory provisions of the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended, which is intended to ensure that the labour market is positively affected by the movement of skills into the country, while also ensuring that access is prioritised for Irish and EEA nationals to employment vacancies in circumstances where such nationals are appropriately skilled and available to take up such vacancies.
In order to ensure that information regarding such vacancies is widely disseminated, and therefore made available to the largest cohort of job seekers possible, the LMNT stipulates that the information is made available on three platforms – the jobsireland/EURES website, in a local newspaper or on a website appropriate to the type of vacancy involved, and in a national newspaper in order to ensure that information is made available in a commonly accessed platform with a nationwide reach. Information regarding the vacancy should be available on these platforms for two weeks prior to an application for an employment permit being submitted; this ensures that any Irish or EEA nationals who wish to submit an application to fill the vacancy have an opportunity to do so, while not imposing a significant delay on the employer’s hiring process.
I have no plans, at this time, to review the structure of the LMNT.