The national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour since 1 January 2026, the official languages are Irish and English, and the official shortage lists point to ICT, engineering, science and health professionals. Find out where to look for a job, how to get your PPS number and what changes if you come from outside the EU.
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.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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