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 managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine employments that are either in high demand or are ineligible for an employment permit where there is a surplus of those skills in the domestic and EEA labour market.
In order to maintain the relevance of the lists to the needs of the economy and to ensure the employment permits system is aligned with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo evidence-based reviews which are guided by research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) of my Department, SOLAS and by a public consultation.
Account is taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and their impact on the labour market. Consideration is also taken of the views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group, chaired by my Department and of the relevant policy Departments represented on the IDG. The timing of the next Review of the Occupational Lists is being kept under consideration.
Outside of the full review process my Department continues to be in contact with other relevant policy departments to address particular labour market challenges as they arise. My Department continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances.
Information on Employment Permits issued in the past three years is provided in tabular form attached.
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