Pakistan, India amongst major recipients of Irish work permits, stats confirm

DUBLIN - Pakistanis and Indians dominated the number of work permits issued by Ireland during the last six months, the latest stats confirm.

The data released by the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment implies that the number of work permits issued by Ireland between January and June 2024 surged by 20.5 percent.

In terms of numbers, Ireland issued 19,303 work permits during the first half of 2024, compared to 15,340 awarded during the same period in 2023.

Healthcare and social services emerged as the sector with the largest number of permits issued, comprising over 35% of the total permits issued; information and technology, agriculture, forestry and fishing, and accommodation and food services also employed a sizeable workforce from overseas.

Interestingly, foreigners from India emerged as the top nationality receiving Irish work permits as they acquired 6,746 work permits, accounting for 35 percent of the total.

The top ten list of nationalities with the highest number of work permits issued also includes Brazil, the Philippines, Pakistan, South Africa, China, the United States, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Malaysia, Schengenvisainfo reported.

In 2023, Indians constituted the largest demographic receiving work permits in Ireland, with Irish authorities issuing a total of 30,981 permits.

It bears mentioning that Pakistanis were amongst Sweden's top recipients of work permits even though the country's embassy in Islamabad has been shut for over a year.

The government of Sweden issued 11,760 work permits between January and May 2024 as per the country’s Migration Agency. The numbers reflect a 30 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023 when 8,180 work permits were issued.

As far as the nationalities that received the most work permits are concerned, the top slots were taken by India, Türkiye, Iran, China, and Pakistan.

Sweden, like many other European countries, is also facing a labor crisis and the 2023 EURES report revealed that the country is facing labor shortages in 39 occupations, particularly in education and healthcare.

Interestingly, while Pakistan remained on the list of recipients for most work permits granted, the country does not have an operational Swedish embassy. Last year, Sweden indefinitely closed its embassy in Pakistan citing the security situation.