Expansion of work permits helps reduce key skills shortage

Established in 2018, Work Permits Ireland is a private immigration company with a team of highly experienced immigration consultants who have over 20 years of experience in Irish immigration, working for clients all over the world wishing to apply for a immigration permit. Irish work.

The government recently announced changes to the work permit system for workers from countries outside the EEA to address skills and labor shortages in areas such as construction, hospitality and hospitality. agrifood.

The changes include expanding general work permit eligibility for workers in the construction industry, removing the quota for heavy truck drivers, and expanding the quota for agribusiness workers.

Mr Hilliard said easing work permit rules and quotas would go a long way in addressing skills shortages in the long run.

In fact, workpermits.ie has already seen an increase in work permit applications in recent months, Hilliard revealed.

“We would have seen, especially in the last six months, a significant increase in all sectors,” he said. “The four main sectors we work with would be food services, hotels, construction and truckers. In all of these four sectors, there has been a rapid increase in demands over the past six months due to shortages in the region.

“I would say transportation is the most important area right now in terms of applications given the shortage of drivers and the fact that many businesses depend on deliveries,” he added.

“Deliveries have shifted from vans to trucks, so we’re seeing a lot more truck drivers coming into the country. Restaurants and hotels are looking to the 2022 season and finding someone here with a work permit will require a minimum of 16 weeks. That is why we are seeing an increase in this area.

“If restaurants or hotels start now, they will have people on the ground in March 2022 before what will hopefully be a busy tourist season.”

Mr Hilliard also highlighted the shortage of construction workers in Ireland and the increased workload for construction companies across the country.

“Some construction companies tell us they’re looking at a four or five-fold increase in the number of projects on their desks,” he said.

“This highlights the need to increase the number of skilled workers in Ireland. There is currently a huge skills shortage and a huge demand for these workers.

Mr Hilliard highlighted the impact of Brexit as positive for Ireland in terms of attracting skilled workers.

“Brexit has a huge impact on this – we are the last country in the EU to speak English as a first language and we are a growing country,” he explained.

“Ireland has become the new UK in terms of the level of attraction to working here. The job market is huge here in Ireland.

“There have been a lot of recruitments outside of Europe,” he added. “Companies have advertised in Europe for new positions and have not received a suitable response, so they will broaden their search.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time businesses come back to us and tell us they can’t find anyone in Europe after they advertise. If you can’t find people in Europe you need to broaden your search and there are some very highly skilled workers who are eager to come here to Ireland to work and live, ”he added.

“It’s good for us and it’s good for them – it’s a two-way street. Many workers, especially those from South Africa, want to move to rural areas. a positive impact on rural areas in Ireland.

While the demand exists for workers from outside the EEA, Mr Hilliard explained that the process of accessing a work permit is far from a sprint. That’s where workpermits.ie comes in, helping employers and potential employees navigate the system.

“This process takes 16 weeks,” he explained. “We act as the common denominator to get this work permit. We deal with the company when applying for the permit and we deal directly with the employee to verify their documents and answer any questions they may have.

“We like to help people access a better quality of life and a better quality of work. We are dealing with people who travel around the world and arrive in a country about which they may know little or nothing, ”he added.

“They will no doubt have questions about where they will be living and things like school options and work for spouses. We are here to help you.

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