In short: CA Recruitment helps Cork employers hire overseas workers — most commonly in food production, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing — and manages the full DETE employment permit from the first eligibility check to the worker starting. The service is run nationally, so a Cork business gets exactly the same end-to-end management as anyone else in Ireland.
For Cork employers who can't fill roles locally
This page is for employers, not job seekers. If you manage a business in Cork and you have roles you cannot fill from the local or EEA labour market, hiring an overseas worker through an Irish employment permit is a legitimate, well-established route — and CA Recruitment manages it end-to-end.
Cork's economy leans heavily on sectors that are hard to staff: large food and meat processing operations across the county, a major pharmaceutical and manufacturing base around the harbour and Ringaskiddy, a busy hospitality trade in the city and along the coast, and nursing homes and care services under the same pressure as the rest of the country. Where local supply runs out, the employment permit route opens up a much larger pool of candidates.
Sectors we recruit for in Cork
CA Recruitment places overseas workers across any role eligible for an Irish employment permit. In Cork, the demand we see most often is:
- Food and meat processing: meat processor operatives — a role that qualifies under DETE's reduced salary threshold.
- Healthcare and care: healthcare assistants, home support workers, and nurses for Cork nursing homes, homecare agencies, and disability services.
- Hospitality: qualified chefs (Commis Chef level and up, with the experience DETE asks for) for Cork hotels and restaurants. Waiting, bar and kitchen-assistant roles are on DETE's ineligible list, so we'll tell you straight what qualifies.
- Pharma and manufacturing: skilled and technical roles — CNC operatives, process and lab technicians, QA and QC staff — around the harbour and Ringaskiddy. General production-operative roles are usually on DETE's ineligible list, so we check eligibility per role.
Not sure your role qualifies? We confirm eligibility against DETE's lists during a free check — see the full list of sectors we cover.
How it works for a Cork business
The employment permit process is national — applications go to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), not to any local office — so a Cork employer is served exactly the same as one anywhere in Ireland. Almost everything is handled remotely, by phone, WhatsApp, and email.
For most roles the route is the General Employment Permit; for higher-skilled shortage occupations it is the Critical Skills Employment Permit. CA Recruitment confirms the correct permit, runs the Labour Market Needs Test where required, prepares and submits the DETE application, and coordinates the worker's visa and arrival. The full journey is set out in our Work Permit Guide for Irish Employers.
Hiring in Cork? Let's check eligibility.
WhatsApp Monette directly on 089 416 6124 for a free eligibility check. We'll confirm whether your Cork roles qualify, the correct permit and salary threshold, and a realistic timeline. No commitment required.
Why Cork employers work with CA Recruitment
Filipino-owned, Ireland-based
Monette is Filipino and lives in Ireland, in nearby Co. Tipperary. She sources candidates through her own direct networks in the Philippines — people she has spoken to and whose qualifications she has verified personally.
End-to-end permit management
The DETE process has precise requirements at every stage. We manage all of it. You review and sign documents and choose from the shortlist.
Strong on food and care roles
Meat processing and care roles qualify under DETE's reduced salary threshold — a tier many agencies avoid. We work it regularly, which suits Cork's employer base.
Licensed and transparent
CA Recruitment holds WRC Employment Agency Licence No. EA 5444. Fees are agreed upfront; government charges are billed at cost.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. We work with employers across Cork city and county. The permit process is run nationally with DETE, so a Cork employer is served exactly the same as one anywhere in Ireland, and most of the process is handled remotely by phone, WhatsApp, and email.
Any role eligible for an Irish employment permit and not on the Ineligible List of Occupations. In Cork that commonly means meat processor operatives, healthcare assistants and nurses, qualified chefs, and skilled or technical manufacturing roles such as CNC operatives and lab technicians. General production operatives, waiting staff and bar staff are on the ineligible list. We confirm whether a specific role qualifies during a free eligibility check.
The Cork employer applies to DETE for the permit — usually a General Employment Permit, or a Critical Skills Employment Permit for higher-skilled roles. CA Recruitment prepares and manages the full application, the Labour Market Needs Test where required, and the worker's visa. You review and sign; we do the rest.