Updates announced to Employment Permits
Minister Peter Burke and Minister Alan Dillon have announced updates to employment permits to support key sectors including housing, healthcare, and transport.
The updated Employment Permits Occupations Lists: Report of the Review 2025 has now been published. Ministers Burke and Dillon announce new employment permits to support homes, health and transport.
Targeting Skills Shortages
Changes target skills shortages across construction, healthcare, transport, and agri-food 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.
