With the economy growing at a solid pace and a high demand for skilled workers, Ireland emerges as a prime destination for foreign professionals. But is it easy to find a job in Ireland? What are in-demand jobs and what is the hiring process? What about work permits and visa requirements? What are the best job sites in Ireland? Let’s look into this promising job market.
Jobs in demand in Ireland
It is safe to say there are lots of legal jobs in Ireland for foreigners. In recent years, the country has enjoyed significant economic growth. In 2024 alone its modified domestic demand grew by 2.7%, leading the EU, so life must be good! Earlier in our blog, we discussed pros and cons of living in Ireland.
Last year, Ireland issued over 38,000 work permits to non-EU nationals – a 24% rise from 2023, marking a notable trend for employment in Ireland. The surge showcases the industries with the most pressing demand for foreign talent in the country:
- Healthcare has the highest number of work permits—over 12,000—issued to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
- IT – with ICT professionals granted over 6,500 permits in 2024. Giants like Google, Facebook and Apple have established significant operations in Ireland, offering diverse roles for foreigners.
- Agriculture – where some 3,500 permits were issued, addressing the need for labour in farming and food production.
- Hospitality – with nearly 3,000 chefs receiving work permits
Just over half of new permits issued in 2024 were Critical Skills Employment Permits. These are permits for jobs where Ireland experiences an acute shortage of skills, such as healthcare and ICT professionals. In 2024, the average salary for such critical roles was €58,746, while the mean gross salary in the country stood at €46,791.
Are you settling in Ireland? Don't miss our review on health insurance for expats.
Separately, a 2023 research listed the following jobs in demand in Ireland: heavy truck and lorry drivers, bus and tram drivers, metalworking machine operators, welders and flame cutters, plumbers and pipefitters, carpenters, home-based personal care workers, chemical and physical science technicians, mechanical and civil engineers and other occupations of varying skill.
Job search in Ireland: 3 crucial steps
Answering the question of how to find a job in Ireland as a foreigner encompasses understanding the legal requirements, tailoring your job application, knowing the best website to find a job in Ireland and setting up proper expectations of the country.
Understand work permits and visas for non-EU nationals
If you come from countries other than the EU or the European Economic Area (this is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), finding out how Ireland regulates foreign workforce is essential.
Work permits are handed out by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). There are two main types of them, summed up in the table below:
| Work Permit Type | Eligibility | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Critical skills employment permit | Roles covered under the Critical Skills Occupations List High-paid jobs not on the Critical Skills Occupations List, unless exempted under the list of Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits |
A job offer with a minimum salary of €30,000 is required for jobs on the Critical Skills Occupations List OR A job offer with a minimum salary of €60,000 for other jobs (unless exempted) The permit is issued for two years |
| General employment permit | All jobs, unless excluded under the list of Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits | A job offer with a minimum salary of €30,000 is required. Employers are required to complete the Labor Market Needs Test to prove the job could not be filled by an EEA or Swiss national. The permit is issued for two years. |
Three more options are:
- Intra-company transfer permit—This is for employees being transferred within the same company
- Contract for services employment permit—issued to foreign workers employed by a foreign company but contracted to provide services to an Irish entity
- Atypical permission—This allows one to work in a job not covered by other employment rules, such as paid interns, midwifery nurses, locum doctors, or crew on a fishing fleet.
Work permit applications cost up to €1,000. You can get back up to €900 if the application fails. Processing times vary. As of 2024, standard applications for Critical Skills Employment Permits came through in around five weeks, while special permits could be obtained in one week.
Once you receive the work permit, you are eligible to apply for an Employment Visa. These are issued by the Department of Justice. At the moment, the multi-entry visa costs €100. You should apply for your work visa from a country where you are a legal resident, three months before the date of your travel to Ireland.
Notable documents – apart from the work permit – required for an employment visa include:
- Letter from your employer in Ireland (detailing your new job and salary)
- Professional qualifications evidence (your three most recent payslips, personal tax statements, professional certificates, etc.)
- Bank statement for the last six months (on a head letter; Internet print-outs are not accepted)
If you manage to secure a work permit for five consecutive years, you will be able to apply for long-term residency. But the initial step in this long journey is obtaining a job offer. How to find a job in Ireland as a foreigner, then?
Leverage top job search strategies
- Best job sites in Ireland
The hiring process in Ireland is quite standard: discovering a job posting, applying online and going through several rounds of interviews. You can start with this board collection, with the first of the job portals on the list being perhaps the best website to find a job in Ireland.
| Job Portal | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|
| IrishJobs.ie | irishjobs.ie | The market leader; adds over 1,000 job vacancies daily. Publishes good tips on how to find a job in Ireland. |
| Jobs.ie | jobs.ie | Thousands of legal jobs in Ireland for foreigners. You can sort career opportunities by city. |
| JobsIreland | jobsireland.ie | A government-run portal with a vast database of listings across various industries, including unskilled jobs in Ireland for foreigners. |
| Worky | Worky | An online professional network for freelancing which helps find career opportunities via skill-based job matching. |
| Jobbio | jobbio.com | Listings in various industries from Construction and Healthcare to Hospitality and Marketing. They also post unskilled jobs in Ireland for foreigners, including seasonal offers, but mostly focus on graduate jobs. |
The best recruitment agencies in Ireland for foreigners are Hays, PE Global and other international players. They help find full-time employment and part-time jobs, temporary work and remote opportunities – or assist in refining your CV and provide advice on the local job market.
If you want to stay connected with your family after landing a good job in Ireland, Profee can help you with international money transfers. We work globally and provide convenient, super fast payment tools and market-beating exchange rates.
- CV tips, cover letter & networking ideas
When you look into how to find a job in Ireland specifically, you should keep it in mind that many employers here use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to sort through CVs. So it is crucial to include keywords that are meaningful for this or that job opportunity; otherwise the robotic system may simply not pass your CV on to any humans. It is also a good idea to include, briefly, your volunteer work if any and your experience in adapting to av foreign environment.
The best recruitment agencies in Ireland for foreigners also advise not to skip writing a comprehensive cover letter that complements your CV. Address the specific role and show how you could align with the company's values and help them achieve their goals. Be concise and polite, though, and do not forget the applicable greeting and sign-off.
If you want to boost your chances of landing a job, try networking. In these terms, the best website to find a job in Ireland will surely be LinkedIn – do not just maintain an updated profile with your work experience there, but also engage with industry-related content and connect with professionals in your desired field.
A wholesome idea of how to find work in Ireland could be joining relevant industry associations and, if there is an opportunity, attending their networking events, including online. This is especially useful if job fairs are out of reach for you. Contributing as a speaker will make a good case for your portfolio and can help you obtain referrals and contacts in the companies you are interested in.
Consider before coming
- English and Irish languages
English is the primary language of business in Ireland. While there is no explicit requirement for an IELTS score to obtain a work permit, your employer may come up with one. In any case, you should consider this during your interview preparation, as poor speaking can destroy even the best set of other hard skills.
Even if you feel confident in your English speaking skills, it is always a great idea to get a few lessons ahead of your interviews and have it played out in a safe environment beforehand. While we at Profee do not do English classes, we can help you pay for them as we excel in card-to-card money transfers. Send money from Ireland flawlessly. Get prepared and get hired!
As for the Irish language, or Gaelic, it is mostly restricted to several areas along the West Coast. Learning it is not really expected of you and is not part of the dilemma of how to find work in Ireland. But it would still be a good idea to master the pronunciation of Irish names, like Siobhan or Sorcha.
- Accommodation & cost of living
So, is it easy to find a job in Ireland? In general, we may say “yes”. In 2023, Ireland was among the top 15 most attractive countries for international job seekers and the third most attractive country within the EU.
But what about day-to-day life? While migrants are seeking to move in, a third of Ireland’s residents consider moving out to a more affordable country – all due to the housing crisis. As of late 2024, the share of people struggling to afford accommodation in Ireland was among the highest in Europe.
The average rent in Dublin hits over €1,800 per month. Without rent, a single person is estimated to need around €1,100 per month to afford a humble life in Ireland’s capital. Commenters on websites like Numbeo agree that in 2025 a monthly salary of €4,000 would be okay to support one person or a couple, but families with children may already find themselves struggling on that amount. In one of our earlier blog posts, we also discussed taxes for foreigners in Ireland; click here for the full review.
So, while you may know by now how to find work in Ireland, living there is a different thing altogether. Maybe, go for remote work?
May the road rise to meet you
Despite the accommodation struggle, Ireland remains a magnet for the foreign workforce, with thousands of legal jobs in Ireland for foreigners. If you decide to give it a go, there are established institutions to help you protect your employment rights once there. You can always turn to the Immigrant Council of Ireland or the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland for information on employment-related issues or for more ideas on how to find a job in Ireland. You can also join a trade union like Fórsa; trade unions play a significant role in Ireland’s employment landscape.
We wish you luck whichever you do – may the road rise to meet you!
