State requires large number of workers from outside European Economic Area, according to ESRI

Ireland continues to require large numbers of workers from non-European Economic Area (EAA) countries to address labour shortages, but it struggles to retain many of them, according to Economic and Social Research Institute research.

Its report found the number of non-EEA workers – those from outside the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein – that were recruited increased substantially between 2021 and 2025 in all but one of 25 sectors.

The exception was the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, where the number fell 21 per cent, the report to be published on Tuesday said.

Despite the continuing need to recruit high-skilled worked in other areas, especially healthcare, the number of General Employment Permits (GEPs) issued to lower or mid-skill level workers had exceeded, in 2024, the number of Critical Skills Permits (CSPs) going to those with the most urgently needed qualifications or experience. This was the first time this had happened in almost a decade.

The number of CSP holders leaving again after coming to Ireland to work is also substantially higher than those with GEPs with 40 per cent versus 21 per cent after two years and 60 per cent versus 50 per cent after five years.

Citing Department of Justice figures, the research suggests the figures for those with graduate-level education are significantly lower.

The growth in the number of permits issued between 2021 and 2025 was skewed by the Covid pandemic with many migrant workers leaving during that time and many coming here to fill vacancies as workplaces opened up again in its aftermath.

There have also been a number of changes to the regulations during the period with the easing of restrictions on what roles overseas workers could be granted a GEP to fill and, more recently, a review of the circumstances in which the 50:50 rule might be waived. This rule requires that a majority of workers in a workplace be EEA citizens.

The number of companies recruiting from outside the EEA, meanwhile, has steadily grown to 8,328 in 2025. Just 20 of those firms accounted for about 10 per cent of the total of more than 31,000 permits. Google topped a list that included other tech firms as well as some operating in the professional services and health sectors.

However, the majority – 4,740 – only applied for one permit to fill a vacancy.

The number of non-EEA students entitled to work some hours in Ireland to help support themselves topped 56,000, almost double the figure for 2021, with Brazilians making up more than a quarter of the total on 15,077.

“The strong uptake in employment permits shows the growing importance of non-EEA migrant workers in meeting Ireland’s demand for labour across healthcare, construction and ICT services,” said Ada Sophia Hahn, who wrote the report with Dervla Potter.

“Ensuring that the employment permit system is effective and fair matters not only to employers and migrant workers but also to Irish society at large as it could impact the delivery of public services.

“Consistently low retention services would be a concern, as it could undermine the effectiveness of the system.”

Members of the migrant worker community are due to protest outside the Dáil on Tuesday over proposed changes to Ireland’s citizenship requirements.