Press release
Minister Richmond launches review of occupations eligible for employment permits
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
Neale Richmond, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, has today launched a review of the occupations on the Critical Skills Occupation List and Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits and has called for employers and stakeholders to make a submission.
Minister Richmond said:
"I am delighted to announce this review of the eligible occupations for employment permits. At a time of full employment, with over 2.6 million people at work in Ireland, it is vital that we have a strong employment permits system to allow for non-EEA nationals to fill the skill and labour gaps we cannot access in Ireland or Europe.
"Where employers or stakeholders are facing challenges in recruiting a specific occupation and believe it should be eligible for an employment permit, or believe a certain occupation should move onto the critical skills list, now is their opportunity to share this feedback.
"With the consultation running over the summer period, there is plenty of time for interested employers and sectors who use the employment permits system to provide their feedback. Employer’s observations are vital in helping inform the department on how the system is operating and where it can be improved.
"As shown by the number of amendments made to the employment permit system over the last year, the system is responsive to the needs of the sectors and industries it serves. This full review will allow this work to continue in a timely and effective way that serves both the employers and employees in Ireland and abroad."
Submissions are invited from representative bodies, government departments, agencies, and other interested parties to a public consultation to review the eligibility of occupations appearing on the Critical Skills Occupations List and the Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits.
If you feel that there are skills/labour shortages or surpluses in relation to occupations in your sector and that these are adversely affecting your industry, you are invited to make a submission.
You should include in your submission any relevant actors that you consider are impacting on your sector so that consideration can be given to making adjustments to the lists, for example, data on the skills or labour shortages, information on recruitment efforts undertaken, retention difficulties, relevant training incentives, impact on business, expansion plans, and any other evidence or data such as industry surveys or reports and views within your sector.
Submissions will only be accepted using the form made available on the department’s website and will be open from Monday, 26 June 2023 with a closing date of Friday, 18 August 2023.