Ireland opened its last construction doors in May 2026 — steel fixers, curtain wallers, concrete pump operators — and DETE now states that almost all construction occupations are covered. Roofing and cladding, carpentry, bricklaying, plastering, electrical and welding trades were open already. This page sets out how an Irish contractor builds a Filipino crew: the permit, the site cards, the trades we test, and the one gap that remains.
Roofers (SOC 5313) — including roof-and-wall sheeting and cladding installers — bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, electricians and welders were never on the Ineligible List; steel fixers, curtain wallers, plastic lining technicians and fencing erectors (5319) and concrete pump operators (8229) came off it on 13 May 2026. All use the General Employment Permit at €36,605 basic pay with the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test and no quota. Scaffolders remain closed: scaffolding falls under other construction operatives and elementary construction occupations, both still ineligible, so a Filipino crew is built around the open trades and scaffolding is sourced locally or from EEA labour.
Every construction worker in Ireland must hold a Safe Pass card — a one-day health-and-safety awareness programme under the 2013 Construction Regulations, taken in Ireland after arrival, with a card valid for four years (renewal by a computer-based test, €93.84 including the card). Occupations scheduled under the Construction Skills Certification Scheme need a SOLAS CSCS card as well: roof and wall sheeting and cladding, built-up felt roofing and single-ply roofing systems among the roofing programmes, basic and advanced scaffolding, and plant such as excavators, telehandlers and cranes. General roofing and slating, bricklaying, carpentry, plastering, steel fixing and curtain walling are not CSCS-scheduled — Safe Pass plus employer training suffices. We plan Safe Pass into week one and CSCS programmes into the first month for the trades that need them.
At our Makati facilities a roofer fixes sheeting and flashings to a detail, a steel fixer reads a bar schedule and ties a cage, a carpenter sets out and strikes formwork, a bricklayer lays blockwork to line and level, a plasterer finishes a panel, an electrician wires to a schematic — while your site manager watches live and interviews the same day. Crews are sized against your 50:50 position: a contractor with 40 EEA staff can hold up to 40 permits, so a 30-person programme for a 25-person company runs in waves as EEA headcount grows. Housing near the works, a Safe Pass booking and a named foreman are arranged before arrival.
The General Employment Permit is the route for almost every trade and operative role: minimum annual remuneration of €36,605 from 1 March 2026 (basic pay on a 39-hour week, €18.05 an hour; the sub-standard rate of €32,691 applies only to healthcare assistants and home-support workers, meat processing operatives and horticulture workers), a permit fee of €1,000 for up to two years refunded at 90 % if refused, a first permit of two years renewable for three, and an application filed at least twelve weeks before the start date. Before filing, the Labour Market Needs Test: the vacancy advertised for 28 continuous days on JobsIreland (and through it EURES) and for 28 days on one other online platform, stating the job, the employer, the location, the hours and the minimum annual remuneration, with the application lodged within 90 days of the first publication. At company level at least half of the employees must be EEA nationals — the 50:50 rule — with exceptions for start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA and for a sole employee; the Government approved proposals in May 2026 to amend the rule for health and social care, not yet law.
The permit decides family life as well as work. Critical Skills permit holders may bring their nuclear family immediately with no income test; General Employment Permit holders may apply after twelve months in the State and must meet an income test under the Family Reunification Policy of 12 June 2026 — above €30,000 gross for a spouse, and for children a net income above Working Family Payment levels, which for one child corresponds to roughly €50,200 gross. A tradesman at €36,605 can bring a spouse after a year and, in practice, not his children; we say so in Manila before anyone signs.
Construction pay in Ireland usually exceeds the €36,605 floor under the Sectoral Employment Order for construction; the floor is a permit condition, not a wage guide. Retention in the first nine months — before a change of employer becomes possible — is decided by housing, honest pay briefings and a foreman who speaks English.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in London, which covers the United Kingdom and Ireland, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. Recruitment follows the employer-pays principle: no applicant pays for an interview, a trade test or a place on a shortlist. Your company is the employer from day one; we never employ or lease the workers.
Everything here is subject to the Employment Permits Act 2024 and regulations, the occupations lists in force (S.I. 213/2026), DETE and ISD practice, Irish employment law and Philippine DMW rules.
Yes — roofers (5313), including roof-and-wall sheeting and cladding, are not on the Ineligible List; the General Employment Permit at €36,605 applies after the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test. CSCS roofing cards are obtained in Ireland after Safe Pass.
No. Scaffolding falls under occupations that remain ineligible after the May 2026 review. We say so before a brief is costed.
No — it is a one-day programme delivered in Ireland. We book it for the first week; workers cannot enter a site without it.
Not for the General Employment Permit in these trades; qualifications and experience are evidenced in the application and tested by us. Electricians work under Irish registration rules on site.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.