Care Sector

Healthcare Assistant Shortage in Ireland: What the Numbers Say and What Employers Can Do

Updated 1 June 2026  ·  7 min read  ·  By Monette, Founder of CA Recruitment

The short version

If you run a nursing home, hospital, or home care service in Ireland and cannot fill healthcare assistant roles, you are not doing anything wrong. The workers are not there. The numbers below explain why, and the second half of this article covers the hiring route that most Irish care employers still have not used: the care worker employment permit.

If you want to skip the analysis and talk about your specific vacancies, WhatsApp Monette and she will tell you whether your roles qualify.

How bad is the shortage?

Worse than most people outside the sector realise, and getting worse on a predictable curve.

Research carried out by KPMG on Ireland's care workforce, reported by the Irish Times in December 2024, projected a shortage of around 22,000 healthcare assistants in 2024, rising to as much as 62,000 by 2036 in the scenario where more older people receive HCA-delivered care and nursing home use increases. That is not a recruitment problem. That is a structural gap between the number of people who need care and the number of people available to provide it.

The ESRI has reached the same conclusion from a different direction: its workforce projections show Ireland needing thousands of additional health and social care workers over the next 15 years, driven by population growth and rapid ageing. Every year, the number of people over 65 grows. Every year, the pool of working-age people willing to do care work for the wages on offer shrinks relative to demand.

For an individual nursing home in Limerick or a home care provider in Galway, the national numbers show up as the same three problems: agency staff costing multiples of payroll rates, beds you cannot open, and care packages you cannot accept.

Why local hiring isn't working

Three reasons, and none of them are fixable by writing a better job ad:

  1. The pay gap against the cost of living. HCA wages in Ireland typically run around €30,000 to €35,000. In the cities and commuter counties where care demand is highest, that does not cover rent. Vacancy rates for care roles are highest exactly where housing costs are most out of line with wages.
  2. Competition from the HSE. Public sector care roles pay more and carry better conditions than most private nursing homes and home care providers can offer. When the HSE recruits, private operators lose staff. There is no version of this competition that private employers win on pay alone.
  3. Turnover and burnout. Short-staffed teams burn out the staff who remain, who then leave, which makes the shortage worse. Most care employers are not recruiting to grow. They are recruiting to stand still.

The standard responses, higher hourly rates, retention bonuses, more agency cover, all cost money and none of them create new workers. They redistribute the same shrinking pool.

The route most employers haven't used: the care worker permit

Since care workers were added to the eligible occupations list, Irish employers have been able to sponsor healthcare assistants and home carers from outside the EU under a General Employment Permit. DETE operates a dedicated quota for these roles, and the care worker and home carer quotas were among those renewed in DETE's May 2026 occupations list review. Quota numbers change, so always check the current status on enterprise.gov.ie before planning a hire around it.

The key numbers for care employers:

The Philippines is the obvious source country for Irish care employers. Caregiving is one of the country's biggest export professions: candidates are trained for international placement, English is the language of instruction throughout their education, and Filipino healthcare workers have been part of the Irish health system for decades. Most Irish hospital wards already have Filipino nurses on them. The HCA pipeline works the same way.

The 50/50 rule still applies. At least 50% of your workforce must be EEA nationals when you apply. For most care employers this is not a problem on the first few hires, but if you are planning to bring in several workers, check the ratio before you start. See our 50/50 rule guide.

What it takes and how long

The honest timeline is 6 to 8 months from first conversation to a worker on shift. That covers:

Candidate sourcing runs in parallel with the LMNT, so the stages overlap rather than stack. The employers who get this wrong are the ones who start the process after the staffing crisis hits instead of before it. If your roster is already short, the worker you start recruiting today arrives in the autumn. Start now or the gap is still there at Christmas.

The full step-by-step process is covered in our guide to hiring care assistants from overseas, and there are sector-specific versions for nursing homes and home care providers.

What CA Recruitment does

CA Recruitment places Filipino healthcare assistants and care workers with Irish employers. The agency is founded and run by Monette, a Filipino national based in Tipperary, who manages candidate sourcing in the Philippines directly.

For care employers, we handle:

If you run a care business and the local hiring market has stopped working for you, WhatsApp Monette. She will give you a straight answer on whether your roles qualify and what the timeline looks like for your situation.

Short-staffed now? The quota won't stay open forever.

We check your role eligibility and the current quota status, then manage the full process from candidate sourcing to first day on shift. No obligation.

WhatsApp Monette Book a Free Call

Frequently asked questions

Is there a shortage of healthcare assistants in Ireland?

Yes. KPMG research reported by the Irish Times in December 2024 projected a shortage of more than 22,000 healthcare assistants as of 2024, rising to as many as 62,000 by 2036 in the highest-demand scenario. The ESRI's separate workforce projections point the same direction: demand for care workers is growing faster than supply, driven by Ireland's ageing population.

Can I hire a healthcare assistant from outside the EU?

Yes. Healthcare assistants and home carers are eligible for a General Employment Permit under a dedicated DETE quota. The employer completes a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, the role must pay at least €16.12 per hour (€32,691 per year on a 39-hour week), and the candidate needs a QQI Level 5 qualification, a comparable qualification, or a commitment to obtain one within 2 years.

What is the salary threshold for an overseas care worker in Ireland?

€16.12 per hour — €32,691 per year on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week. This is the reduced GEP rate for healthcare assistants and home carers, below the standard €36,605 threshold. It must be the contracted basic salary: guaranteed premium payments can count towards it, but bonuses, shift allowances, and overtime cannot.

Is the care worker permit quota still open in 2026?

Yes, as of June 2026. The care worker and home carer quotas were among those renewed in DETE's May 2026 occupations list review. Quotas are finite and close when used up, so check the current status on enterprise.gov.ie or ask us before planning a hire around it.

Do Filipino healthcare assistants need an Irish qualification?

They need QQI Level 5 in health and social care or a qualification comparable to it. Many Filipino candidates hold caregiving certifications and hospital experience that meet the comparability test. Where they do not, the employer can commit to the worker obtaining QQI Level 5 within 2 years of starting, which is a standard part of how care employers structure these hires.

How long does it take to get an overseas HCA on shift?

6 to 8 months end to end: 28 days of Labour Market Needs Test advertising, DETE processing, then the D-visa in Manila and travel. Sourcing happens during the LMNT window so the stages overlap. Employers who start before the roster crisis hits are the ones who avoid agency cover costs later.

Does CA Recruitment only work with nursing homes?

No. We place care workers with nursing homes, hospitals, home care providers, and disability and community care services. The permit route is the same; what changes is the rostering, the qualification emphasis, and how the role is described for the Labour Market Needs Test. WhatsApp Monette to talk through your specific setup.

Already employ permit holders? If you have overseas care staff whose permits are coming up for renewal, read our employment permit renewal guide. Filing inside the renewal window is what keeps your workers on the roster while DETE processes the application.