Ireland Introduces New Employment Permits and Reviews '50:50 Rule' to Address Skills Shortages

Current rules

A new phased approach to increasing Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) salary thresholds for employment permits has been published, introducing gradual increases through to 2030. From 1 March 2026, the minimum salary for General Employment Permits will rise to €36,605, for Critical Skills Employment Permits to €40,904, and for meat processors, horticultural workers, healthcare assistants, and home carers to €32,691. Sub-standard MAR thresholds for sectors like healthcare and agri-food will be phased out by 2030. Lower starting thresholds will apply for recent graduates. Critical skills roles in the public service and community/voluntary organisations linked to public sector pay agreements will be exempt from CSEP MAR thresholds.

Overview

On 28 May 2026, Ireland announced substantial changes to its employment permits system to tackle skills and labour shortages in key sectors such as construction, healthcare, transport, and agri-food. These updates include the addition of 32 occupations to the Critical Skills Occupations List and General Employment Permits lists, and the renewal of quotas for 15 existing roles. Additionally, the government has approved a proposal to begin amending the '50:50 Rule', which limits the proportion of non-UK/EEA nationals an employer can hire, particularly to support the health and social care sector.

What changed in the latest version

Employers in Ireland will need to change the salaries they offer to people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to meet the new, higher Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) thresholds. This applies when they apply for or renew employment permits from 1 March 2026. Businesses that used lower thresholds in sectors like farming (agri-food) and healthcare will have more time, until 2030, to adjust. This is before these lower thresholds are fully removed. This gives them more flexibility. However, people who have recently finished university or college may find it easier to get permits. This is because new, lower starting thresholds recognise they are at the start of their careers. If employers do not follow the updated salary rules, their employment permit applications or renewals will fail.

Explained simply

Imagine you want to work in Ireland if you're not from Europe. To get a special permit, you need to earn at least a certain amount of money each year. The government is changing these minimum amounts. Instead of making them go up very quickly, they're going to raise them slowly over a few years, starting in March 2026. This means if you need a permit, your job will need to pay a bit more than before, but businesses will have time to get used to the new rules. Some jobs, like certain healthcare or farm roles, will also see their minimum pay go up steadily until 2030. If you just finished university, you might have a slightly lower minimum to start with.

Frequently asked

Version history

1. v2Effective 1 Mar 2026PublishedHigh impact
   Ireland Introduces Gradual Increases to Employment Permit Salary Thresholds with a New Roadmap to 2030

   Follows v1 · Ireland Introduces New Employment Permits and Reviews '50:50 Rule' to Address Skills Shortages

   Ireland has announced a new plan for how much people must earn each year to get employment permits. These are called Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) salary thresholds. These amounts will go up bit by bit until 2030. From 1 March 2026: * The minimum salary for a General Employment Permit will go from €34,000 to €36,605. * The minimum salary for a Critical Skills Employment Permit will go from €38,000 to €40,904. * For specific jobs like meat processors, horticultural workers, healthcare assistants, and home carers, the minimum salary will go from €30,000 to €32,691. This gradual plan also means that lower MAR thresholds for some jobs will be removed over a longer time, from 2026 to 2030. There will also be lower starting salary amounts for people who have recently finished university or college.

2. v1Effective 28 May 2026PublishedHigh impact
   Ireland Introduces New Employment Permits and Reviews '50:50 Rule' to Address Skills Shortages

   Ireland has made important changes to its employment permit system. These changes start on 28 May 2026. They aim to fix skills and labour shortages. Six new jobs are now on the Critical Skills Occupations List. This list is for jobs that need highly skilled non-European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Swiss workers. Nine jobs that were not allowed before can now get General Employment Permits without limits on numbers. Two new jobs can get General Employment Permits, but with limits on numbers. Quotas for 15 existing General Employment Permits have been renewed. The government will also start to change the '50:50 rule'. This rule limits how many employment permits an employer can have. The change will specifically help the health and social care sector.