Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market.
The system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit.
The Occupations Lists undergo periodic review and a public/stakeholder consultation. My Department chairs the Interdepartmental Group to oversee the review process which includes membership drawn from senior officials of key departments including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine who have policy responsibility for this sector.
The aim of the Group is to promote an integrated approach to addressing labour and skills shortages being experienced in the economy and is guided by relevant research. This includes assessing proposals received through the public consultation for changes to the Occupations Lists.
Changes to the employment permit occupations lists are made where there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available, development opportunities are not undermined, a genuine skills shortage exists, rather than a recruitment or retention problem, and Government education, training and economic development policies are supported.
In October 2021, in light of the continued labour shortages in the agriculture and agri-food sector, I announced a new quota of 100 General Employment Permits for dairy farm assistants subject to a minimum annual remuneration of €30,000. In addition, I also released a further 1,000 General Employment Permits for horticulture operatives, 500 for meat deboners, and 1,500 for meat processing operatives.
All Agriculture quotas were opened with a proviso that a strategic review on labour attraction and retention in the sector is carried out in order to put in place more sustainable solutions for meeting the labour needs of the sector into the future.
Policy responsibility for agriculture and the related food industry is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Following the implementation of an internal plan of action which increased resources and implemented more efficient methods of processing applications, the Employment Permits Unit of the Department has reduced the number of applications awaiting processing from about 11,000 in January 2022 to about 1,942 today, despite further strong demand in 2022. Processing times have fallen from 21 weeks to 2-4 weeks depending on the permit type. The Department plans to reduce these times even further across all permit types assuming demand remains at current levels.
The Department continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances and the timing of the next Review of the Occupational Lists will be kept under consideration.
