Ireland: 40% of First-Quarter 2023 Work Permits Went to Indians

The Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment has published statistics on the issuing of work permits to third-country citizens for the first three months of 2023.

According to the figures, Indian nationals have once again received the greatest number of work permits, accounting for nearly 40% of them.

Between the beginning of January and the end of March, a total of 7,264 work permits were awarded to third-country citizens, including 2,894 Indian nationals. In January, 2,525 permits were issued, with over half of them - 1,059 - going to Indian nationals.

Brazil had the second-highest number of permits received in the first quarter of 2023, with 734, followed by the Philippines, with 663.

The following countries of origin are also included in the top ten:

• China – with 321 work permits obtained by its nationals

• South Africa – 320

• Pakistan – 292

• Nigeria – 225

• United States of America – 196

• Zimbabwe – 156

• Thailand – 116

During this time period, 494 applications were rejected, while another 165 were withdrawn before a final decision was reached. Indian nationals had the most applications rejected (113), followed by Brazilians (80), and Filipinos (34).

The most permits were issued for occupations in Health & Social Work Activities (2,428), followed by Information & Communication Activities (1,095) during this time period.

These two industries have been hurt the hardest by the country's labour shortage. According to the Institute of Public Health, by 2051, the island will have more than 2.1 million individuals aged 65 and older, many of whom would require additional care.

The number of persons over the age of 85 will rise to almost 400,000 by mid-century, with one in every 20 people on the island of Ireland being over the age of 85.

The ageing population also means that a large number of competent workers will be departing the labour force, leaving jobs open that the younger generations will be unable to fill without the assistance of foreign workers.

At the same time, Ireland has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union, at 4.2%. Only Hungary (3.5%) and the Netherlands (3.6%) have lower unemployment rates than Ireland.

Even if that 4.2 percent entered the labour force, they would not be able to meet the country's demand for workers, particularly qualified people.

By fLEXI tEAM