The Government has asked employers and other interested parties to give their views on which occupations should be eligible for employment permits.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment today (26 June) launched a review of the Critical Skills Occupation List and Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits.

Neale Richmond (Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail) said that, at a time of full employment, it was vital to have a strong employment-permits system to allow for non-EEA nationals to fill some skill and labour gaps.

“Where employers or stakeholders are facing challenges in recruiting a specific occupation and believe it should be eligible for an employment permit, or believe a certain occupation should move onto the critical-skills list, now is their opportunity to share this feedback,” he stated.

Closing date

The minister added that the number of amendments made to the system over the last year had shown that it was responsive to the needs of the sectors and industries it served.

Submissions are invited from representative bodies, Government departments and agencies, and other interested parties to a public consultation on the review.

Submissions will be accepted using only a form on the department’s website, and are open from Monday 26 June to 5pm on Friday 18 August.