Employer guide
Hire from the Philippines to Ireland
How recruiting skilled workers from the Philippines into Ireland actually works, at both ends: the employment permit here, the paperwork there, the trade test in between, and how long it takes. Fixed fee, no retainer, nothing charged to the worker.
Why the Philippines
What you get from this corridor
The Philippines has the most organised overseas employment system in the world, a large pool of trade-qualified workers with Middle East and shipyard experience, and English as a working language. It is also the most regulated corridor, which is a good thing once you know the steps.
How we test
Tested at our own trade testing site in Manila
Every trade candidate is assessed on the tools by a qualified assessor before you interview them, on the process and positions your job needs, and you see the result. Drivers are assessed on a practical drive and their licence route into Ireland is confirmed before anyone books a flight.
The process
From the Philippines to Ireland, both ends
Two sets of rules run at once: Ireland's, which decide whether the worker may come, and the Philippines's, which decide whether they may go. Most delays come from running them one after the other. We run them together.
The Irish side
- 1
A job offer first
An employment permit is for a named worker in a named job with a named employer, so the written offer comes first. The role and the pay have to meet the current rules for the permit type; we check that with you before anything moves.
- 2
The labour market test, where it applies
For a General Employment Permit the role is usually advertised first for the set period, unless it is on a list that exempts it. We run the advertising and keep the evidence the application needs.
- 3
The permit application
The application goes to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. We prepare it with you so it goes in complete the first time. Processing times move; we quote the current one when you ask, not a brochure figure.
- 4
Visa, travel and registration
With the permit issued, the worker applies for the entry visa where their nationality needs one, travels, and registers with immigration on arrival. We handle the arrival side with them so you get a worker on day one, not a queue.
The Philippines side
- 1
A licensed Philippine agency
Filipino workers can only be recruited for overseas jobs through an agency licensed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). We work through our licensed Philippine partner; you never deal with the Manila side directly.
- 2
Your documents are verified
The employer (the "principal") is verified by the Migrant Workers Office, whose London office covers Ireland and the UK. It checks your company registration, the signed employment contract against the DMW's minimum standards, proof of the permit or sponsorship route, and a manpower request listing the positions, headcount and salary. We prepare the pack with you.
- 3
Job order approval
Once verified, the job order for your positions is registered with the DMW. Recruitment, testing and selection run against that approved order.
- 4
Worker processing and exit clearance
Selected candidates complete their medical, contract processing and pre-departure orientation, and receive the overseas employment certificate they need to leave the country. No placement fee is charged to the worker; that is both Philippine law and our own rule.
The Irish requirements on this site are checked against the official source; the current list is on the requirements block. The Philippines side is set out in outline; the current detail is confirmed with Department of Migrant Workers and the Migrant Workers Office London for each hire.
How long
The honest answer is that the employment permit sets the pace and the Philippines paperwork runs alongside it. Testing and selection are the quick part, and the brief decides how quick. When you tell us the roles, you get the current permit processing time as it stands that week, not a figure from a brochure.
Official figures
Irish permits to nationals of the Philippines, by year
Employment permits issued, all sectors. The full page, and this month's Permit Pulse.
What the numbers say
4,402 permits for Philippines nationals by the end of September 2026, already 130% of the 3,398 issued in the whole of 2025.
At the current pace 2026 would finish around 5,869, up 73% on 2025.
The busiest full year on record was 2024 with 4,049 permits. In 2010 the figure was 1,223. That is a 3.3-fold rise.
Who is already doing it
The biggest permit users in Ireland this year
Questions
What employers ask about hiring from the Philippines
Can an employer in Ireland hire directly from the Philippines?
Not in the way most people mean. Philippine law requires overseas recruitment of Filipino workers to go through an agency licensed by the Department of Migrant Workers, and the employer to be verified by the Migrant Workers Office. That is what we and our licensed Philippine partner do for you. You interview and choose; the licensed side of it is ours.
Who pays for what?
You pay us a fixed fee per placement, with no retainer; the fee and exactly what it covers are in the proposal, alongside the government fees for the employment permit and visa and the travel, so there are no surprises. The worker pays nothing to us, at any stage, for anything. That is a licence condition in Ireland and our rule everywhere.
How do I know they can actually do the job?
Because they have done it in front of our assessor before you see them. Trades are tested on the tools at our own trade testing site in Manila, drivers on a practical drive, and you get the result and the assessor's notes with the CV. If you want to set the test piece yourself, you can.
What about English?
Every candidate is interviewed in English by us before they reach you, and you interview them yourself on video before any offer. Where a role or a permit type needs a formal language level, we tell you which one and arrange the test.
What happens if it does not work out?
Most placements that fail do so in the first weeks, and it is usually about settling in rather than skill. We stay involved after arrival, with the worker and with you, and what happens if a placement does not hold is written into the proposal in plain words.
Can I hire people already in Ireland instead?
Often, yes, and we will always show you those first: workers already in the country with the right to work, or already on a permit and eligible to move. A change of employer on an existing permit is a different, quicker application. The overseas route is for the numbers you cannot find here.
For employers in Ireland from the Philippines
Tell us how many skilled workers you need and when
You get candidates we already have trade tested, the permit timeline as it stands, and a fixed fee. No retainer, nothing charged to the candidate, and nothing to sign until you have seen people.
Martin, Lance or another member of our team will get back to you. Who we areLooking for work? This form is for employers. Register here instead, it is free.
We work directly with employers. We do not take on other recruitment agencies, labour suppliers or sub-agents.
Prefer to lay it out yourself? The hiring planner takes the roles, numbers and start date and gives you a plan on the spot.
Same country, other side
Other countries
Worth following
Who we placed, and where the market is going
Monthly figures on who is hiring overseas, what the Department published, and the trades that are getting hard to fill. No sales posts.
Source: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Employment Permit Statistics. Contains Irish Public Sector Data licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. A permit issued to a company is a record of a past application. It is not a vacancy and not a promise of sponsorship.
Is this your organisation? To update what is shown here, or for more information, email us. The figures come from the published register; we cannot change the register itself, only how it is presented here.