What is the change?

Damien English TD, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail has established that Employment Permits will now be available for dairy farm assistants, bus and coach drivers and home carers.

Specifically for dairy farm assistants, as spring is historically a busy period, this will help give current dairy farmers more of a work/life balance and reduce the risk of farm safety incidents.

As well, an authorization of 1,000 Employment Permits will now be available for home carers. This will fill the skills and labor gaps in the domestic economy.

Minster English as also established a quota of 1,500 Employment Permits for coach and bus drivers to alleviate the current impact on service delivery across the public transport network.

Key Points:

• Implementation time frame: From 16 December 2022.
• Who is affected: Employers in the Dairy Market, Coach and Bus Driving and Care Giving Sector.

Next Steps:

• Employers will be eligible to apply for the Employment Permits once they have run the required advertisements for 28 days after 16 December 2022.
• In regards to the Home Care Sector, permits will be issued for 2 years and require an annual remuneration of 27,000 Euro based on a 39 hour week and a minimum full QQI Level 5 Qualification in Health and Social Care or equivalent or completed a full QQI Level 5 qualification (or higher) in health and social care within 2 years of permit issue. There will be a requirement of a 4-hour minimum continuous shift length.
• In regards to the Agricultural Sector, a minimum remuneration of 30,000 Euros based on a 39-hour week is required
• In regards to the Transport Sector, a minimum annual remuneration of 30,000 Euros based on a 39-hour week is required. The drivers must hold driving license categories D, DE, D1 and D1E or recognized equivalent.

Analysis & Comments:

Deloitte welcomes this change which addresses the skills and labor shortage in the Dairy Farming, Coach and Bus Driving and Care Sector.

It’s great to see that the Employment Permit systems' flexibility has increased to address these shortages in a timely manner, with the addition of Employment Permits being processed within a week.