The hiring problem most Irish businesses have in common
Most Irish employers who contact us have already spent months on the same cycle. They've advertised. They've used local agencies. Good candidates haven't appeared or haven't stayed. The role is still open.
Filipino workers are a proven answer to this problem for Irish employers in care, agriculture, construction, and hospitality. They bring relevant training, strong English, and a genuine commitment to a role they have specifically planned and prepared for. When a Filipino worker arrives in Ireland on an employment permit, it is not a casual decision. They have been medically screened, documented, and oriented through the Philippines' overseas employment system. That level of preparation shows in reliability and retention.
CA Recruitment handles the process from end to end. If you need to hire Filipino workers in Ireland, we confirm the permit route for your role, manage the Labour Market Needs Test, source and vet candidates, submit the DETE application, coordinate the visa, and support the worker through arrival. You choose the person. We handle everything else.
Why Irish employers hire Filipino workers
English as an official language
English is an official language of the Philippines and the medium of instruction through third-level education. Communication is not a barrier, from the interview stage through to day-to-day work.
Strong vocational and care training
Many Filipino applicants hold nursing degrees or healthcare qualifications. In agriculture and construction, vocational training backgrounds are well-established. For care roles specifically, a Filipino BSN graduate working as a care assistant brings clinical knowledge and faster onboarding than you might expect.
A structured departure process
The Philippines operates one of the world's most developed overseas employment systems through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Workers are medically cleared, documented, and departure-briefed before they leave. This structure protects both sides and makes the arrival process more predictable.
Commitment to the role
A Filipino worker who has gone through the employment permit process has made a significant, deliberate commitment. They researched the country, prepared for the move, and accepted the role specifically. That is different from someone who took the first available job locally. It shows in attendance, retention, and engagement.
Filipino-owned agency
CA Recruitment is founded and run by Monette, a Filipino national based in Co. Tipperary. She has community networks in the Philippines that no third-party broker can replicate. That is how we find candidates other agencies miss, and why candidates trust us enough to make the move.
DMW-accredited recruitment
For a Filipino worker to legally depart the Philippines under the overseas employment programme, the placement must go through a DMW-accredited agency for Ireland. CA Recruitment holds this accreditation. We manage both sides of the process directly.
Sectors where we place Filipino workers in Ireland
Not every role qualifies for a General Employment Permit. CA Recruitment works specifically in sectors where DETE has confirmed eligible occupations and where Filipino workers have a proven track record with Irish employers.
Care and nursing homes
Care assistants, home carers, and disability support workers. The GEP minimum for care roles is €16.12/hr (€32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week). DETE quotas are currently open. CA Recruitment is one of the few agencies that actively works this tier.
Agriculture and dairy farming
Dairy farm workers, pig unit operatives, horticulture workers, and general farm labourers. DETE quotas for agricultural roles are open and we have existing placements across Leinster and Munster.
Construction
Trades and skilled construction roles eligible under the GEP. CA Recruitment has placed Filipino workers in construction operations and manages the full permit process for contractors.
Hospitality
Experienced chef grades: Executive Chef, Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Partie, and Commis Chef. Minimum experience requirements apply for each grade. Front-of-house, bar, and kitchen porter roles do not qualify for employment permits.
We confirm eligibility for your specific role during a free initial consultation. If a role does not qualify, we tell you that clearly and explain why, before you spend any time or money on the process.
Work permit facts for Irish employers
The route for most Filipino workers is the General Employment Permit (GEP), issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). Here is what the GEP requires:
- Eligible occupation: The role must appear on DETE's Eligible Occupations List. Most care, agriculture, construction, and hospitality chef roles qualify.
- Minimum salary: €36,605 per annum for most roles. Care assistants, home carers, horticulture workers, and meat processors qualify at a reduced threshold of €16.12 per hour (€32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week).
- Labour Market Needs Test: The role must be advertised for 28 consecutive days on Jobs Ireland (DSP network) and one additional commercial platform, with records of all applications received and the outcome for each.
- 50/50 rule: At least 50% of your total workforce must be EEA nationals at the time of the application. Two exemptions apply: start-up companies registered with Revenue within the last 2 years with formal Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland support, and situations where the foreign national will be the only employee of the business.
- DETE application fee: €1,000, paid by the employer at submission. This fee is not recoverable from the worker.
- Processing time: Currently approximately 10 to 12 weeks for new GEP applications. Check live processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie as this changes regularly.
After DETE approves the GEP, the worker applies for an Irish D-visa (long-stay employment visa) at the Irish Embassy in Manila. This typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. On arrival in Ireland, the worker registers with Immigration Service Delivery to receive their Irish Residence Permit.
Read the full permit process in the Work Permit Guide for Irish Employers.
How the hiring process works
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1
Free consultation and eligibility check
We assess your role, your sector, and whether your business meets the 50/50 workforce requirement. We confirm the permit route, the salary threshold, and a realistic timeline. No obligation, no charge. If the role doesn't qualify, we tell you at this stage.
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2
Labour Market Needs Test
We manage the 28-day advertising requirement on Jobs Ireland and a second platform, keep the application log, and document all outcomes. You do not post anything yourself. Candidate sourcing from the Philippines runs in parallel, so you are not losing time while the test period runs.
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3
Candidate sourcing and vetting
We source in the Philippines through Monette's direct community networks. Candidates are interviewed, qualifications verified, and references checked before they reach your shortlist. You receive a small number of people we would hire ourselves, not a pile of CVs from a database.
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4
DETE permit application
We prepare the full application through the DETE Employment Permits Online system, including all supporting documentation. You review and sign. We submit and follow up. DETE liaises with us, not with you.
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5
Visa coordination and pre-departure
Once DETE approves the permit, we coordinate the D-visa process from the Philippine end. We track the worker's documentation (NBI clearance, medical certificate, OEC) and make sure nothing delays departure.
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Arrival and 90-day support
We support the worker through IRP registration, PPS number, and bank account setup in the first week. We stay in contact for the first 90 days.
Need to hire Filipino workers? Let's talk.
WhatsApp Monette directly on 089 416 6124 for a free eligibility check. We'll confirm whether your role qualifies, what the realistic timeline looks like, and what the process involves. No commitment required.
Why Irish employers work with CA Recruitment
There are generalist overseas recruitment agencies operating in Ireland. Most have no meaningful presence in the Philippines and outsource that side to a local partner. CA Recruitment is different, and it matters in practice.
Filipino-owned, Ireland-based
Monette is Filipino, grew up in the Philippines, and now lives in Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary. She built CA Recruitment because she understood both sides of the process from personal experience: the Irish permit system and what the Philippines departure process actually involves for workers and their families. That knowledge is not replicable by a broker with a Philippine partner agency they have limited contact with.
End-to-end permit management
The DETE process has specific requirements at every stage: the Labour Market Needs Test format, the application documentation, the salary verification, the 50/50 check. We manage all of it. The employer signs documents and reviews the shortlist. That is the extent of what falls on you.
Transparent, fixed fees
We agree a clear, fixed recruitment fee with you upfront. The €1,000 DETE permit fee, and any visa and travel costs, are billed to you at cost and paid directly to DETE where applicable — never marked up by us.
Reliable, long-term staff
We place hard-working people who are committed to building a long-term future with your business, not just filling a short-term gap.
Care worker tier expertise
Most overseas agencies focus on construction and engineering, where salaries sit above the standard GEP threshold. Care roles qualify at the reduced threshold of €16.12/hr (€32,691/yr at 39 hours) but require a specific approach to the DETE application. Many agencies don't know this tier or actively avoid it. We place care workers regularly and know the process well.
On-the-ground candidate assessment
We have contacts in the Philippines who assess candidates in person. Qualifications are verified, references checked, and candidates are assessed before they are shortlisted. You are not choosing from an unseen database. You are choosing from people we have already met.
What Irish employers say
"We were sceptical that anyone could actually manage the permit process for us — it looked complicated and time-consuming. CA Recruitment took the whole thing off our plate. The workers they placed are outstanding."
"The compliance piece was what worried me most: work permits, visas, the whole lot. CA handled every bit of it. Our new accounts administrator was in the office and productive within two months of first contact."
"I'd tried two other agencies and got nowhere. CA Recruitment got us fully permitted Filipino workers within the timeline they promised. The process was straightforward once Monette and the team were running it."
"We needed reliable staff for our shop in Midleton and couldn't find the right people locally. CA Recruitment placed two excellent Filipino workers with us — both have been brilliant from day one. Couldn't recommend them highly enough."
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Irish employers can hire Filipino workers through the General Employment Permit (GEP) issued by DETE. The role must appear on DETE's Eligible Occupations List, meet the minimum salary threshold, and pass a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test demonstrating that no suitable EEA candidate was available. CA Recruitment confirms eligibility for your specific role during a free initial consultation.
Filipino workers require a General Employment Permit (GEP) issued by DETE. The employer applies for the permit, not the worker. The GEP minimum salary is €36,605 per annum for most roles. Care workers, horticulture workers, and certain other categories qualify at €16.12 per hour (€32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week). After the GEP is approved, the worker applies for an Irish D-visa at the Irish Embassy in Manila before travelling.
The end-to-end process typically takes 6 to 8 months from initial consultation to the worker starting. This covers 28 days for the Labour Market Needs Test, approximately 10 to 12 weeks for DETE to process the GEP (check current processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie), 2 to 4 weeks for the D-visa, and travel and onboarding. Running candidate sourcing in parallel with the LMNT period keeps the overall timeline shorter.
CA Recruitment places Filipino workers in care and nursing homes, agriculture and dairy farming, construction, and hospitality (chef grades). Not every role qualifies for a GEP — DETE maintains an Eligible Occupations List. CA Recruitment confirms whether your specific role and business structure qualify during the free consultation. If a role is not eligible, we tell you that clearly at the outset.
CA Recruitment has a recruitment fee that is agreed with you upfront and separate from government costs. The main external cost is the €1,000 DETE General Employment Permit application fee, paid to DETE at submission. This is the employer's cost and cannot be recovered from the worker. A full breakdown of all costs is provided at the free initial consultation. There is no obligation to proceed.
Yes, in almost all cases. DETE requires that at least 50% of your workforce is made up of EEA nationals at the time of the permit application. This applies regardless of business size or sector. Two exemptions exist: start-up companies registered with Revenue within the last 2 years with a formal Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland support letter, and situations where the foreign national will be the only employee of the business. CA Recruitment checks your workforce composition during the free eligibility assessment.
Yes. We prepare and submit the full DETE application on your behalf, including the Labour Market Needs Test documentation, job offer details, salary information, and workforce composition evidence. You review and sign the application, but you do not manage the process. DETE liaises with us, not with you, throughout.