Enterprise minister Peter Burke has announced the expansion of employment permits, aiming to tackle labour shortages in the construction and home care sectors in Ireland.
An additional 1,000 home carers from outside the European Union will be allowed entry through general employment permits, while town planners will be added to the critical skills permit list.
The changes will take effect on March 10.
“I am delighted to announce further changes to the employment permit system that will help ease the recruitment challenges being experienced in the construction and home care sectors. As we have reached full employment with over 2.7 million people at work here, some skills are increasingly difficult for employers to access in Ireland and across the EEA, and these sectors are prime examples,” Burke said.
Alan Dillon, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, emphasised the vital role of migrant workers in Irish society, particularly in healthcare and construction.
The decision to expand the critical skills permit list to include town planners follows concerns raised by the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage about infrastructure bottlenecks in the housing and construction sectors.