Ireland Issues 3,400 Work Permits to Agricultural Workers in 2024

Ireland Issues 3,400 Work Permits to Agricultural Workers in 2024

Key Highlights

  • Work Permits in Agriculture: The Irish authorities issued 3,400 work permits to foreign workers in the agricultural sector between January and November 2024, with February recording the highest number (591) and November the lowest (141).

  • Health and Social Care Workers Dominate: Workers in health and social care obtained 32.1% of all employment permits in Ireland, making it the sector with the most permits issued.

  • Top Nationalities: Indians and Brazilians were the leading nationalities granted employment permits, with Indians receiving 12,498 permits (31.4% of the total) and Brazilians obtaining 4,320 permits.

  • Total Work Permits in 2024: Between January and November, Ireland issued 36,402 work permits, with 3,289 (9%) approved in November alone.

  • Sector Breakdown: Around 9.4% of all employment permits issued so far were allocated to agriculture, forestry, and fishing—industries traditionally favored by Irish workers.

  • Salary Updates: Annual salaries for workers in meat processing and horticulture were set to increase from €30,000 to €32,000 in January 2025, though the implementation of these changes has been deferred pending further review.

Breakdown by Nationalities

The Irish Department of Trade and Employment (DETE) revealed the top nationalities receiving employment permits between January and November 2024:

  1. Indians: 12,498 permits (31.4% of all permits issued).
  2. Brazilians: 4,320 permits, despite a rejection rate of 12%.
  3. Filipinos: 3,760 permits (94% approval rate).
  4. Chinese: 1,760 permits.
  5. Pakistanis: 1,600 permits.
  6. South Africans: 1,509 permits.
  7. Americans: 1,031 permits.
  8. Zimbabweans: 908 permits.
  9. Nigerians: 909 permits.
  10. Malaysians: 620 permits.

Insights from DETE

The DETE highlighted that agriculture permits account for a small fraction of all foreign employment permits issued in 2024. Additionally, the report noted that while many sectors are seeing a steady inflow of foreign workers, higher rejection rates were observed among some nationalities, particularly Brazilians.

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