It is the first question almost every employer asks us: what do I actually have to pay? There is no single number. The minimum an employment permit requires depends on the role, and the gap between the bands is wide — the figure for a care assistant is a long way off the figure for a carpenter.
Here are the 2026 thresholds set by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) and the relevant Sectoral Employment Orders, by role — and, just as importantly, why that number is not the overseas premium it can look like at first glance.
The short answer, by role
| Role band | 2026 minimum | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Standard General Employment Permit | €36,605 / year | Chefs, HGV drivers, welders, machine operators |
| Designated shortage roles | €16.12 / hour (≈ €32,691 / year) | Healthcare assistants, home carers, horticulture, meat processing |
| Construction trades (Sectoral Employment Order) | €23.00 / hour (≈ €46,600 / year) | Carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, glaziers |
| Critical Skills Employment Permit | €40,904 / year | Higher-skilled roles on the Critical Skills list |
Every figure below is basic pay for a standard 39-hour week, and every role must also clear the National Minimum Wage of €14.15 an hour for all hours worked. Now the detail.
Standard roles — €36,605 a year
Most permit-eligible roles — chefs, HGV drivers, welders, machine operators and many others — sit on the standard General Employment Permit floor of €36,605 a year, which rose from €34,000 in March 2026. That floor is based on a 39-hour week. If the week is shorter, the hourly rate has to rise so the annual minimum is still met, and each hour worked above 39 must be paid at no less than the prescribed hourly rate of €18.05.
Shortage roles — €16.12 an hour
A reduced hourly minimum of €16.12 an hour applies to a set of designated shortage occupations: healthcare assistants, home carers and home support workers, horticulture workers and meat processing operatives. That works out at €32,691 a year on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week.
One thing to watch: this has to be basic pay. Bonuses, shift allowances and overtime are real money to the worker, but they do not count towards the threshold — so the basic contractual rate is what DETE measures.
Construction trades — Sectoral Employment Order rates
Construction is the band that surprises employers most, because it is higher than the general permit floor, not lower. Trades are governed by Sectoral Employment Orders (SEOs), which set legally binding minimum hourly rates across the sector. The Construction Sector SEO craftsperson rate is €23.00 an hour — about €46,600 a year on a 39-hour week — covering trades such as carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers and glaziers.
Other construction workers, including scaffolders and steel fixers, are Category A workers at €22.32 an hour. Electricians fall under the Electrical Contracting SEO and plumbers under the Mechanical Engineering Building Services SEO, at their own similar or higher rates. If you are hiring a trade, the permit floor is effectively the SEO rate — there is no cheaper way to do it legally, and you would pay an Irish tradesperson the same.
Critical Skills roles — €40,904 a year
Higher-skilled occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List carry a minimum of €40,904 a year, and they follow a faster route that does not require a Labour Market Needs Test. If your role qualifies here, the higher salary buys you a quicker, simpler process.
How the number of hours changes it
Permit salary thresholds are built around a standard full-time week of 39 hours — 2,028 hours a year. A permit role does not have to be full-time, but it cannot drop below 20 hours a week, and it cannot go above 48. Below 39 hours, the hourly rate has to rise so the worker still earns the full annual minimum for the role; above 39, each extra hour is paid at the prescribed rate. In practice almost every permit role we place is full-time at 39 hours, because that is what the work needs and what makes the numbers stack up cleanly.
Why this isn't an "overseas premium"
Seeing a €33,000 or €46,000 figure in writing can feel like a lot in one go. Here is what it is, and what it isn't.
It is not a surcharge for hiring from abroad. The threshold is set at or close to the going market rate for the role — you would pay an Irish or EU worker the same to do the same job. The permit process simply puts in writing that the rate is being met. You are not paying more; you are paying the market rate to fill a seat you have not been able to fill locally.
And that empty seat has its own cost. An unfilled role means lost output, overtime piled onto the team you already have, agency temps at a premium, and the slow burn of staff leaving because they are stretched. Set against that, a committed, vetted, English-speaking worker who is here to stay is usually the cheaper option, not the dearer one.
The salary is also only part of the picture, and the part you would pay regardless of how you hire. CA Recruitment's recruitment fee is agreed upfront and is separate from the government permit cost, and we manage the entire DETE permit process for you. The full cost breakdown — permit fee, what you don't pay, and where the agency fee sits — is set out in our companion guide on what it costs to hire an overseas worker in Ireland.
Confirm the exact figure for your role — free
Salary thresholds and Sectoral Employment Order rates are reviewed periodically, and the band that applies to your specific role and contract is worth getting right before you advertise or apply — the wrong figure is a common reason permits are delayed or refused. Tell us the role and the hours, and we will confirm the exact minimum, check eligibility, and give you a realistic timeline. There is no charge and no obligation.