Sites stalled, trades unavailable
The shortage of skilled tradespeople in Ireland is well documented. Housing targets, hospital builds, and NDP infrastructure projects are running behind schedule partly because qualified workers are not available locally. Contractors who have tried the usual routes already know this. Jobs Ireland, local agencies, word of mouth, site boards. The roles stay open.
Overseas recruitment is the direct answer, and the permit system now supports it. S.I. 213/2026 added Steel Fixers, Fencing Operators/Erectors, Curtain Wallers, Concrete Pump Operators and Plastic Lining Technicians to the General Employment Permit eligible list on 13 May 2026; Minister Burke and Minister Dillon announced the change on 28 May. This sits alongside existing eligible trades including Welders, Pipe Fitters, Scaffolders, and engineering grades. For Irish contractors, this means the range of roles that can be filled through overseas recruitment has expanded significantly.
CA Recruitment manages the full DETE process for construction employers. If you need to get workers on site, we handle the permit route, the Labour Market Needs Test, candidate sourcing, the DETE application, visa coordination, and arrival support. You select the person. Everything else is ours.
Construction roles eligible for a General Employment Permit
The General Employment Permit covers all occupations not on DETE's Ineligible List. For construction, the following roles are confirmed eligible:
Added 13 May 2026 (S.I. 213/2026)
- Steel Fixers
- Fencing Operators / Erectors
- Curtain Wallers
- Concrete Pump Operators
- Plastic Lining Technicians
Previously eligible
- Welders
- Pipe Fitters
- Scaffolders
- Mechanical Engineers
- Electrical Engineers
- Civil Engineers
Critical Skills list (same announcement)
- Construction Planner / Scheduler
- Geospatial Surveyor
Critical Skills permits have a lower salary threshold and no Labour Market Needs Test requirement.
Roles that do not qualify
Elementary construction occupations (SOC 9120), road construction operatives, and rail construction and maintenance operatives are on DETE's Ineligible List. General site labourers in these categories cannot be sponsored for a General Employment Permit. If you are unsure whether your role qualifies, CA Recruitment confirms this during the free initial consultation before any time or money is spent.
The permit process for construction employers
The route for overseas construction workers is the General Employment Permit (GEP), issued by DETE. Here is what it requires:
- Minimum salary: the legally binding Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) rate for the trade, which sits above the €36,605 GEP threshold. Under the Construction Sector SEO, craftspersons must be paid at least €23.74 per hour (about €48,150 per year on a 39-hour week) since 1 August 2026, with Category A workers on €23.03 and Category B workers on €21.37 — up from €23.00, €22.32 and €20.71 respectively. Electricians and plumbers are not covered by any SEO — the electrical and mechanical engineering orders were both quashed by the courts and never replaced — so their floors are the National Minimum Wage and the €36,605 permit threshold, with market rates well above both. The salary must be met in basic pay before any overtime, allowances, or site supplements. Check current rates at workplacerelations.ie.
- Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT): The role must be advertised for 28 consecutive days on JobsIreland.ie, on EURES, and on at least one other commercial jobs platform — three platforms, two postings, since registering on jobsireland.ie places the notice with DSP and puts it on EURES — with a full log of applications received and the outcome for each. CA Recruitment manages the entire LMNT on your behalf.
- 50/50 rule: At least 50% of your total workforce must be EEA, Swiss or UK citizens at the time of the application. For contractors with 20 or more employees, this is generally straightforward to satisfy given the makeup of existing site teams. One narrow exemption applies: where the foreign national will be the only employee of the business.
- DETE application fee: €1,000 per permit for a term of 6 to 24 months, paid to DETE at submission. This is an external government charge, not an agency fee. It cannot be recovered from the worker.
- Processing time: The DETE decision queue moves during the year — see our processing times tracker for the current position. 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 at the Irish Embassy in their home country, typically taking 2 to 4 weeks. On arrival in Ireland, the worker registers with Immigration Service Delivery to receive their Irish Residence Permit.
The end-to-end timeline from first call to worker on site is typically 6 to 8 months. Running candidate sourcing in parallel with the LMNT period keeps the process towards the shorter end of that range.
Read the full permit process in the Work Permit Guide for Irish Employers or see the detailed blog post on how to hire construction workers from overseas in Ireland.
How the hiring process works
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1
Free consultation and eligibility check
We assess your role, confirm it is on the eligible list, and check whether your business meets the 50/50 workforce requirement. We set out the permit route, the salary threshold, and a realistic timeline. No charge and no obligation. If the role is on the ineligible list, we tell you at this stage.
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2
Labour Market Needs Test
We manage the 28-day advertising requirement across all three required placements — JobsIreland.ie, EURES, and one other online platform — keep the full application log, and document outcomes for every applicant. You do not post anything yourself. Candidate sourcing from overseas runs in parallel, so no time is lost during the test period.
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3
Candidate sourcing and vetting
CA Recruitment sources candidates through Monette's direct networks in the Philippines. Qualifications are verified, references checked, and candidates assessed before they reach your shortlist. You receive a small number of people we would hire ourselves, not an unscreened database export.
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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 throughout.
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5
Visa coordination and pre-departure
Once DETE approves the permit, we coordinate the D-visa process and track the worker's pre-departure documentation to make sure nothing delays travel.
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6
Arrival, induction, 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 90 days.
Need trades on site? Let's talk.
WhatsApp Monette directly on 089 416 6124 for a free eligibility check. We'll confirm whether your role qualifies, what the timeline looks like, and what the process involves. No commitment required.
Why Irish contractors work with CA Recruitment
Filipino-Irish owned, Ireland-based
CA Recruitment is founded and run by Monette, a Filipino national living in Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary. She built this agency from first-hand experience of both sides: the Irish permit system and the realities of the Philippines departure process for workers and their families. That knowledge is not something a general recruitment agency outsourcing to a Philippine partner can replicate.
Full permit management
The GEP process has specific requirements at every stage: the LMNT format, the application documentation, salary verification, workforce composition. We manage all of it. You sign documents and review 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.
Construction sector experience
Joe Colville at Ecoville Construction has used CA Recruitment. We understand site schedules, the trades pipeline, and what contractors need from a recruitment partner: workers who are permitted correctly, arrive when expected, and stay.
Direct candidate assessment
Candidates are assessed through Monette's direct networks in the Philippines. Qualifications verified, references checked, candidates met in person before shortlisting. You are choosing from people we have already assessed, not an unseen database.
What Irish employers say
"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."
Frequently asked questions
These construction roles are eligible for a General Employment Permit: Steel Fixers, Fencing Operators/Erectors, Curtain Wallers, Concrete Pump Operators, Plastic Lining Technicians, Welders, Pipe Fitters, Scaffolders, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, and Civil Engineers. The first five were opened by S.I. 213/2026 on 13 May 2026, announced by DETE on 28 May; the other six were already eligible before that. Construction Planner/Scheduler and Geospatial Surveyor were added to the Critical Skills Occupations List by the same instrument. None of these permits is quota-capped — Schedule 5 of that instrument, the table that sets General Employment Permit quotas, carries no construction role — though DETE can introduce a cap at a future review. No quota does not mean no process: the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, the 50:50 rule and the salary floor for the role all still apply. Ineligible roles include elementary construction occupations (SOC 9120), road construction operatives, and rail construction operatives. CA Recruitment confirms eligibility for your specific role during a free consultation.
Yes. Elementary construction occupations (SOC 9120), road construction operatives, and rail construction and maintenance operatives are on DETE's Ineligible List and cannot be sponsored for a General Employment Permit. General site labourers in these categories are also not eligible. If you are unsure about your specific role, CA Recruitment will confirm eligibility at no charge before any process begins.
In practice, higher than the €36,605 GEP threshold. Construction workers are covered by the Construction Sector Sectoral Employment Order, which sets legally binding hourly minimums. Since 1 August 2026 these are €23.74 per hour for craftspersons (about €48,150 a year at 39 hours), €23.03 for Category A and €21.37 for Category B workers, up from €23.00, €22.32 and €20.71 respectively. Electricians and plumbers are not covered by any SEO — the electrical and mechanical engineering orders were both quashed by the courts and never replaced — so their floors are the National Minimum Wage and the €36,605 permit threshold, with market rates well above both. The minimum must be paid in basic salary before any overtime, site allowances, or supplements. Check the current rates at workplacerelations.ie.
The full process from first call to worker on site typically takes 6 to 8 months. This covers 28 days for the Labour Market Needs Test, the DETE decision queue for the GEP application (check current processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie), 2 to 4 weeks for the D-visa, and travel and site induction. Running candidate sourcing in parallel with the LMNT period keeps the overall timeline shorter.
Yes. DETE requires at least 50% of your total workforce to be EEA, Swiss or UK citizens at the time of the application. For most construction contractors with 20 or more employees, this is generally straightforward to satisfy. One narrow exemption applies: where the foreign national will be the only employee of the business. CA Recruitment checks your workforce composition during the free eligibility assessment.
The DETE General Employment Permit application fee is €1,000 for a permit of 6 to 24 months duration. This is a government charge paid directly to DETE at submission. It is the employer's cost and cannot be recovered from the worker. If the application is refused, DETE refunds 90% of the fee. CA Recruitment has a recruitment fee that is agreed with you upfront and separate from government costs.