For plant operators
Plant operator jobs in Ireland with the permit handled
What the figures say about plant operators in Ireland, what you need, how the trade test works, and the roles we are filling right now. You never pay us anything.
Employer looking to hire plant operators? Plant operator recruitment agency for employers, Ireland and the UK
The sector
F - Construction
Employment permits issued in this sector by year. Full figures.
Also
B - Mining & Quarrying
Employment permits issued in this sector by year. Full figures.
What the numbers say
2,014 permits for F - Construction by the end of September 2026, already 99% of the 2,031 issued in the whole of 2025. At the current pace 2026 would finish around 2,685, up 32% on 2025. The busiest full year on record was 2025 with 2,031 permits. In 2020 the figure was 1,232.
Who is hiring
The biggest permit users this year, all trades
What is required
What you need
- 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.
The trade test
How we test plant operators
Machine handling assessed on site and tickets checked.
Tested in Johannesburg, Manila or a partner centre near you before anyone gets on a plane, so you land in a job that matches what you can do.
What happens on the day, step by step
The process
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.
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.
Offer and paperwork
A written offer with the salary and hours in it, before anything else happens. Then the medical and the background checks.
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.
You land
Flight, accommodation, PPSN, bank account and phone sorted, and somebody checking in with you after you arrive.
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.
For employers
Hiring plant operators?
Trade tested, permit handled, no retainer. See how we do it for your sector.
Free, at every stage
Ready to apply?
Register above or send your CV. 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.
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.