Ministers Burke And Dillon Announce New Employment Permits

It aims to address ongoing skills and labour shortages across key sectors. 

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, and Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Retail, Small Businesses and Employment Alan Dillon, have today announced a series of updates to Ireland’s employment permits system to address ongoing skills and labour shortages across key sectors. 
The measures are designed to support industries experiencing acute shortages across the EU construction sector, the healthcare sector, the transport sector, and the agri-food sectors.

A total of 32 changes to jobs eligible for an employment permit are now confirmed, following a comprehensive review that commenced in Summer 2025:

• 6 roles are recommended to be made eligible for Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEPs),
• 9 roles are recommended to be made eligible for General Employment Permits (GEPs) (without quota).
• 2 roles are recommended to be made eligible for GEPs subject to newly established quotas.
• 15 roles are recommended to have their existing GEP quotas renewed

The full report can be found here Employment Permits Occupations Lists: Report of the Review 2025

The Government has also approved a proposal by Minister Burke to begin preparations to amend the Employment Permits Act 2024 with regard to the criteria that restricts the number of employment permits individual employers can hold (50:50 Rule). The “50:50 rule” means an employer must ensure at least 50% of its workforce are UK/EEA nationals. This is to implement findings of an internal review of the impact of this rule on the health and social care sector.

While the majority of sectors do not report issues meeting the 50:50 rule, the issues currently faced by the health and social care sector, including continuity of patient care, is of concern. In the case of Healthcare Assistants, in Nursing Homes, Disability Care, and Homecare flexibility within the 50:50 rule is required to sustain long-term care capacity and manage Ireland’s demographic and fiscal trajectory.         

Minister Burke said:

“I am delighted to announce these changes today detailed to our employment permit system.  These adjustments strengthen the agility and responsiveness of the system, while upholding safeguards such as Minimum Annual Remuneration thresholds, quota management and standard permit terms and conditions.”

“The additions to the Critical Skills Occupations List will support the sourcing of highly skilled international workers in a number of sectors including construction, infrastructure, the intellectual property sector
and the healthcare sector.”

 
Minister Burke continued:

“To assist with the ongoing skills and labour shortages in the construction sector in Ireland, I am announcing today that Construction Planner/Scheduler and Geospatial Surveyor (also known as Land Surveyor and Geomatics Surveyor) is being added to the Critical Skills Occupations List.  This continues our department’s support of the delivery of the government’s multi-billion capital investment in the National Development Plan, and our ambitious home-building strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. While we are prioritising skills progression, immediate and short-term measures are still required to address labour shortages. 
 
“While a number of roles have already been made eligible for permits in previous reviews, evidence strongly suggests that skills and labour shortages remain in certain specialities within the construction sector.  Therefore, a further 5 occupations in this sector are now eligible for a General Employment Permit, meaning that almost all occupations in the Construction sector are now covered. These new roles are Plastic Lining Technicians, Steel Fixers, Fencing Operators / Erectors, Curtain Wallers and Concrete Pump Operator.”

 
Minister Dillon added:

“These changes will promote a whole-of-Government, integrated approach to driving responsive economic migration policy and addressing labour and skills shortages as they arise. I am supporting a balanced approach that addresses short‑term labour shortages while reinforcing the State’s commitment to long‑term domestic skills development. Quotas have been applied to lower‑skilled roles to ensure migration complements, rather than substitutes for, training, apprenticeships, and upskilling measures.” 
 
“These changes to eligibility align with broader activation and workforce strategies, including by maintaining a clear focus on building sustainable skills pipelines while enabling employers to meet needs that cannot be met rapidly within the State. We are seeking to provide employers with greater clarity and predictability for recruitment planning, while reinforcing a shared understanding among departments of how economic migration can support Ireland’s long‑term economic and social objectives”