The number of work permits granted to non-European Economic Area residents fell by almost a quarter last year with the health, technology and agriculture sectors all seeing sharp drops. The total number of permits issued over the course of 2025 was 31,044 compared with 39,390 in 2024 according to figures published by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. In the agricultural sector, meanwhile, issued permits dropped from 2,990 to 1,915. “Another factor here is that there was a particularly large number of permits issued in 2022 which meant a large number of renewals in 2024 and so part of what we are seeing here is simply part of the natural cycle of the process,” he said. Amazon, Accenture, EY and Google were the private sector companies seeking the largest numbers of permits and Indian citizens were in receipt of 9,947; almost a third of the total number issued.

Source: The Irish Times January 08, 2026 04:41 UTC