For candidates
Who is hiring overseas workers in Ireland, and what you need
29,989 employment permits have been issued so far in 2026 to 7,732 Irish employers. These are the companies, the industries and the counties, from the official figures, with what the permit actually requires and how to apply. You never pay us anything.
Who is hiring
The employers getting the most permits this year
A permit issued means they have hired from outside the EEA and know the process. Open any employer for its monthly pattern and how to approach them.
Which industries
Where the permits go
Where the jobs are
By county
Where people come from
Permits by nationality in 2026
Pick your country for the figures and what applies to you.
By trade
Pick your trade
What the figures say for your trade, what you need, how the test works, and the roles open now.
What is required
What an employment permit needs
- A job offer and a contract of employment signed by you and the employer before anything is submitted. Applications must reach the Department at least 12 weeks before the start date.
- The right permit for the job. Most trades and driving roles go through a General Employment Permit, which is issued for 2 years and can be renewed. Roles on the Critical Skills list use a Critical Skills Employment Permit.
- Pay at or above the minimum for the permit. For a General Employment Permit the Department currently lists it as generally EUR 36,605 a year, with lower figures for meat processing, horticulture, healthcare assistants and home support. Check the official figure for your role before you rely on it.
- A Labour Market Needs Test in most General Employment Permit cases: the employer advertises the job first, and only then can the application go in.
- The 50:50 rule: at least half of the employer's staff must be EEA nationals at the time of application, with exceptions for start-ups and sole employees.
- Your passport, your qualifications, references, and a medical and background check where the employer asks for them.
Summarised from Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment permits, checked 9 September 2026. The rules change, so the official page is the one that counts, and we confirm the route in writing for every offer.
How it goes
The process, start to finish
1
Send your CV
A recruiter goes through your experience, your licences and where you want to work. No fee, no obligation, and you can stop at any point.
2
Interview and trade test
You meet the employer, in person or by video, then a practical test with a qualified assessor so you land in a job that matches what you can do.
3
Offer and paperwork
A written offer with the salary and hours in it, before anything else happens. Then the medical and the background checks.
4
Permit and visa
The employer applies for your employment permit and we handle the visa with you. This is the long stage, and the one nobody controls.
5
You land
Flight, accommodation, PPSN, bank account and phone sorted, and somebody checking in with you after you arrive.
The trend
Permits issued by year
Employment permits issued in Ireland each year. The current year is a running total.
16,388
2019
16,419
2020
16,275
2021
39,955
2022
30,981
2023
39,390
2024
31,044
2025
29,991
2026
Free for everyone
Practise, know your rights, and know where you are going
All of this is free and none of it asks you to register. Use it whether you come to us or not.
Driving hereYour licence, automatic cars, and instructors who teach in them.Your EnglishFree classes near you, tutors we work with, and a practice test.CV checkerPaste your CV and get it checked against what Irish and UK employers expect, in a minute, free.English practice testThirty questions at around CEFR B2, with the answer and the reason after each one. Find out where you stand before you pay for the official test.Rules of the road: IrelandDriving on the left, the signs, the speed limits and the alcohol limit that applies to professional drivers.Drivers hours and the tachographThe rules that get more drivers in trouble abroad than anything else. The same in Ireland and the UK.Your rights at workThe minimum wage, payslips, holidays and safety, with the official source behind every line.Does this company hire on permits?Type a name and see whether it has been issued employment permits, how many, and when.Check an agency is licensedSearch the official Irish list by name or licence number before you deal with anyone. You never pay for a job.If something goes wrongIndependent, free helplines. None of them belongs to us, and you can use them about us.Settling in where you landThe first fortnight in order, and where the shops, places of worship, clubs and fishing actually are.Irish Talents, our partnerPermit data on every Irish employer and practical step-by-step guides for candidates looking for opportunities in Ireland. The long answer, when you want it.
Keep an eye out
New jobs go up there first
Roles are posted as they come in, with the trade and the country, and there is usually a fortnight between a job appearing there and the applications closing.
Register with Sama
Tell us your trade and we will tell you what we have
Five fields, under a minute. We read every one. You never pay us anything, at any stage.
Questions
The questions we get asked most
Do I need a job offer before I can get an Irish employment permit?
Yes. An employment permit is for a named job with a named employer, so the offer comes first. Once there is a written offer, the permit application goes to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. We handle the paperwork with the employer and keep you informed at every step.
Do I pay Sama Talent Group anything?
No. Not to apply, not to be placed, not for the permit or the visa, not for your documents. Employers pay us. If anyone asks you for money to get a job in Ireland through us, it is not us; tell us and we will deal with it.
How long does it take?
The Department publishes its own processing times and they move with demand, so we do not quote a number here. When we send you an offer we tell you the current wait, and we tell you again if it changes. The permit stage is the long one and nobody can speed it up.
Which permit will I be on?
It depends on the job and the salary. Most trades and driving roles are on one of the two main permit types. We tell you in writing which permit applies, what it allows, and what it means for your family, before you accept anything. The rules are on the Department's website, and that page is the one that counts.
What is a trade test?
A practical assessment with a qualified assessor, in your own country before you travel: welding a joint, stripping and rebuilding a component, driving a route. It protects you as much as the employer, because you land in a job that matches what you can do.
For candidates
New employers in Ireland, in your inbox
When the Department publishes the next month's figures, you get the employers in Ireland that took on overseas workers for the first time, and the ones hiring hardest.
Free, at every stage
Ready to apply?
The roles we are filling right now are on the live jobs page. Nothing to apply, nothing to be placed, nothing for your visa or your documents. Employers pay us.
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.
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