On May 28, 2026, the Department of Tourism, Enterprise and Employment announced a series of updates to Ireland’s employment permits system to address ongoing skills and labor shortages across key sectors.
The measures are designed to support industries experiencing acute shortages across the construction, healthcare, transport, and agri-food sectors.
A total of 32 changes to jobs eligible for an employment permit have now been 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 to begin preparations to amend the Employment Permits Act 2024 with regard to the criteria that restrict the number of employment permits individual employers can hold (the 50:50 Rule). The “50:50 rule” means an employer must ensure that at least 50% of its workforce is made up of 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, are 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.
Background
For the purposes of the employment permits system, occupations fall into three categories:
- Occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are highly skilled professional roles that are in high demand and are not always available in the resident labor force. Occupations on this list are eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) and include roles such as medicine, ICT, sciences, finance, and business.
- Ineligible occupations are those with evidence suggesting there are sufficient Irish/EEA workers to fill such vacancies. Employment permits are not granted for these occupations.
- Every other job in the labor market, where an employer cannot find a worker, is eligible for an employment permit. For these occupations, the employer is required to undertake a Labor Market Needs Test and if no-one suitable applies for the job, the employer is free to apply for an employment permit. Occupations such as these may be skills of a more general nature and are eligible for a General Employment Permit (GEP).
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.