Ireland

Ireland is a country of 5.5 million people with an employment rate above the EU average: 80.2% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).

Unemployment is low, although it has gone up slightly – from 4.5% in 2022 to 4.7% in 2025. That is below the EU average of 6.0%. Youth unemployment is also lower than in the EU as a whole: 11.8% among people aged 15–24, compared with 15.2% – but it has risen from 10.1% in 2022.

As an EU/EEA citizen you do not need a work permit or a residence permit – you can move, look for a job and work on the same terms as Irish citizens. British citizens can also live and work in Ireland without any permission under the Common Travel Area. The official languages are Irish and English, so if you speak English well, you can start applying without learning a new language first.

According to EURES, the biggest shortages in Ireland are among science and engineering professionals, ICT professionals and health professionals. EURES also names skills shortages for:

• health and care – nurses, healthcare assistants, nursing home care workers,
• IT and engineering – software developers, engineers in various fields,
• finance and management – accountants; HR, finance, logistics and bioscience-production managers,
• construction and industry – construction workers, factory workers.

The government’s Critical Skills Occupations List – highly skilled jobs that are in high demand and not always available in the resident workforce – covers roles in medicine, ICT, sciences, finance and business.

The sectors with the highest vacancy rates are health and social work, education, arts and recreation, public administration and administrative services. There is seasonal work too: in 2025 the fruit-picking industry employed about 40,000 people.

The public employment service Intreo (Department of Social Protection) offers job listings, guidance from a case officer and training – free of charge for EEA nationals. Start here:

• JobsIreland – the free government job portal run by Intreo, with job search, CV resources and job matching,
• EURES – the EU job portal, plus EURES advisers in your home country and in Ireland who help with moving for work,
• publicjobs.ie – the Public Appointments Service portal for civil service and other public sector jobs.

Many employers use their own application forms, so expect to fill one in instead of (or as well as) sending a CV. You can also write to companies that have not advertised a job. If you have not heard back within about four weeks, it is fine to phone and ask.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

A typical Irish application contains:

• a CV of one to two pages – you can use the Europass CV,
• a cover letter, typed on plain A4, that highlights your personal qualities and relevant experience,
• copies of your qualifications and references,
• a photo only if the application form asks for one.

Application forms are widespread, and employers often want an insight into what you do outside work.

The interview: it may be held by one person or by a panel, by phone or face to face. Find out about the company beforehand – EURES calls this “crucial” – and bring copies of your CV, qualifications, references and any other documents you may need.

Diplomas: NARIC Ireland (hosted by QQI) has a free online database that compares foreign qualifications with the Irish National Framework of Qualifications – over 2,000 qualifications from more than 170 countries. For regulated professions (e.g. nurses, doctors, teachers), the Irish authority for your profession decides on recognition.

• National minimum wage: €14.15 an hour since 1 January 2026 for workers aged 20 and over. Younger workers get lower rates: €12.74 at 19, €11.32 at 18 and €9.91 under 18.
• Working time: no more than 48 hours a week on average (usually averaged over four months). You get a 15-minute break after 4.5 hours and 30 minutes after 6 hours, 11 hours’ rest in every 24 hours and 24 hours’ rest a week.
• Overtime: employers have no legal obligation to pay extra for overtime – it depends on your contract or sector agreement, although many employers pay higher rates.
• Holidays: at least 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year, plus 10 public holidays.
• Contract: within 5 days of starting, your employer must give you the core terms in writing (including your pay and expected working hours); the full written statement of terms follows within one month.

Students from the EU/EEA can work in Ireland without any permit, just like Irish students.

• Minimum wage applies to student jobs too – €14.15 an hour (2026) from age 20, with lower rates at 18 and 19.
• Before your first job get a PPS number and register the job with Revenue – otherwise you may pay emergency tax.
• Seasonal and summer jobs, for example fruit picking, give you the same employment rights as other temporary or fixed-term workers.
• Under 18: no more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

Students from outside the EU/EEA with Stamp 2 permission may work up to 20 hours a week during term and up to 40 hours a week in June, July, August and September and from 15 December to 15 January.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Ireland – practical information.

1. No residence permit: as an EU/EEA citizen you do not need a residence permit to live and work in Ireland.
2. PPS number (Personal Public Service Number): you need it to work. Apply online through MyWelfare (with a MyGovID account) and give proof of address not older than 3 months and the reason you need the number, e.g. employment.
3. Tax: register for Revenue’s myAccount and add your job (you need your employer’s registration number) as soon as you start – otherwise you may pay emergency tax. Income tax and the Universal Social Charge (USC) are calculated from your pay. In 2026 a single person gets a personal tax credit of €2,000 and an employee tax credit of €2,000; income up to €44,000 is taxed at 20%, the rest at 40%.
4. Health care: if you live in Ireland – or intend to – for at least a year, you are “ordinarily resident” and can use public health services free of charge or at reduced cost. EURES recommends bringing your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
5. Bank account: you need one to receive your wages.

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or British citizen, you need an employment permit and immigration permission. Ireland does not take part in the EU Blue Card scheme – it has its own permits:

• Graduates of Irish colleges (Stamp 1G, Third Level Graduate Programme): after a level 8 qualification you get 12 months to look for work; after level 9 or higher, 12 months that can be renewed for another 12. Apply within six months of graduation, while you still hold Stamp 2.
• Critical Skills Employment Permit – for jobs on the Critical Skills Occupations List paying at least €40,904 a year (€36,848 if you graduated in the last 12 months), or other occupations paying over €68,911. The job offer must be for at least 2 years and no labour market test is needed. Afterwards you can apply for Stamp 4.
• General Employment Permit – generally at least €36,605 a year (€34,009 with a relevant degree from an Irish college obtained in the last 12 months); in most cases the employer must first carry out a labour market needs test.

Thresholds as published in October 2026. Permits are explained by the Department of Enterprise, immigration permissions by Immigration Service Delivery.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Ireland, labour market information: Ireland,
• Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment – Critical Skills Occupations List, Critical Skills Employment Permit, General Employment Permit, terms and conditions of employment,
• Irish Statute Book – National Minimum Wage Order 2025 (S.I. No. 472/2025),
• Workplace Relations Commission – terms of employment, working hours of non-EEA students (Stamp 2),
• Citizens Information – minimum wage, entitlement to public health services,
• gov.ie – get a PPS number, Intreo for jobseekers,
• Revenue – tax credits and rates 2026, starting your first job,
• Immigration Service Delivery – Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G),
• QQI – NARIC Ireland,
• EUR-Lex – EU Blue Card Directive (EU) 2021/1883,
• Your Europe – working abroad.

Updated: October 2026.