Ireland Employment Permit Statistics 2026
The headline numbers: Ireland issued roughly 26,600 employment permits to 7,091 companies in January–September 2026. Healthcare is the biggest sponsoring sector (5,996 permits), Dublin the biggest county (9,519), and the single largest sponsors range from Dawn Meats (291) and Google Ireland (239) to regional hospitals. Since 2020, 198,429 permits have gone to 21,224 companies.
The sponsorship visibility gap
The single most useful statistic for any job seeker: of 7,557 live Irish vacancies analysed in September 2026,
- only 0.3% (21 listings) explicitly mention visa sponsorship in the job ad;
- but 36% (2,722 listings) come from employers that actually sponsored a permit in the last 12 months;
- a further 4% come from employers that have sponsored before;
- 5.5% explicitly exclude sponsorship.
The lesson: job ads tell you almost nothing about sponsorship. The employer's permit record tells you nearly everything. Candidates who "apply blind" to companies with no permit history waste months; candidates who target proven sponsors convert far faster.
Permits by industry (2026)
| Industry | Permits | Companies | Notable sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health & Social Work | 5,996 | 591 | University Limerick Hospitals Group (164), Cork University Hospital (161), Resilience Healthcare (151) |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 2,177 | 534 | Accenture (108), Infosys (66), Mastercard (66) |
| Information & Communication | 1,926 | 346 | Google Ireland (239), Amazon entities (259+ combined), Microsoft (75) |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1,637 | 853 | Broadest base: mostly small employers with 1–2 permits each |
| Food & Drink Manufacturing | 1,551 | 250 | Dawn Meats (291), Rosderra Irish Meats (237), ABP (111) |
| Construction | 1,124 | 344 | Weltec Engineering (45), TLI Group (35), Uisce Éireann (26) |
| Transport & Storage | 941 | 152 | Dublin Bus (145), Bus Éireann (73) |
| Financial & Insurance | 917 | 219 | Grant Thornton (67), Stripe (59) |
Permits by county (2026)
| County | Permits | Sponsor companies |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 9,519 | 1,941 |
| Cork | 1,964 | 451 |
| Limerick | 993 | 175 |
| Galway | 765 | 163 |
| Meath | 723 | 133 |
| Kildare | 679 | 130 |
| Waterford | 529 | 64 |
| Clare | 494 | 95 |
| Kerry | 449 | 73 |
| Louth | 437 | 61 |
Dublin dominates in absolute numbers, but the data breaks the "only Dublin sponsors" myth: over half of 2026 sponsor companies are outside Dublin, led by hospitals, engineering firms and food producers in Cork, Limerick, Galway and the regions — where salaries stretch further against lower rents.
What this means for Critical Skills candidates
- Healthcare is the sponsorship engine of Ireland — nurses, doctors and allied health professionals have the deepest pool of proven sponsors, including public hospital groups.
- Tech sponsorship is concentrated — a small number of large ICT employers (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Accenture, TCS, Infosys) account for a large share of tech permits. Target them and the mid-size layer below them.
- Never judge sponsorship by the job ad — with 99.7% of ads silent on sponsorship, the employer's actual permit record is the only reliable signal.
Methodology
Statistics are derived from the IrishTalents database of employment permit records published by Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, covering 198,429 permits issued to 21,224 companies between 2020 and September 2026 (latest import: 2 September 2026). Live vacancy statistics cover 7,557 active postings from licensed recruitment feeds analysed on 10 September 2026. Company-level figures count permits issued to that legal entity; groups operating multiple entities (e.g. Amazon) appear as separate companies. Past sponsorship is a matter of public record and does not guarantee any employer will sponsor a future role.
Search the sponsorship records yourself
Every company in this analysis is searchable — see who sponsored your occupation, in your target county, before you apply.
Explore Sponsor Companies →