Ireland does not have a shortage list in the usual sense; it has an Ineligible List and a set of quotas, and both were rewritten in May 2026. For a Filipino workforce the practical result is a three-way split: roles open without quota, roles open until a quota is used up, and roles that remain closed whatever the shortage. This page is that split, with the legal figures from S.I. 213 of 2026.
The May 2026 review removed from the Ineligible List the construction roles that had kept whole envelope and structural packages closed: steel fixers, curtain wallers, plastic lining technicians and fencing erectors (SOC 5319) and concrete pump operators (8229), together with pharmaceutical technicians, dental hygienists, printers and industrial machine knitters. Roofers (5313), bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, electricians, welders (5215) and healthcare assistants (6141) were never on the list and remain open. For all of these the General Employment Permit applies with the Labour Market Needs Test and the €36,605 floor (€32,691 for healthcare assistants), and there is no ceiling on numbers.
Scaffolders fall under other construction operatives and elementary construction occupations, which remain ineligible without exception; so do packers, elementary process-plant and storage occupations, kitchen assistants, cleaners, van drivers and sales assistants. HGV drivers are eligible only if they already hold a category CE or C1E licence recognised in Ireland — a Philippine professional licence is not — which in practice limits the route to Filipino drivers already licensed in the EU. Chefs are eligible only as executive, head or sous chefs with five years' experience or chef de partie and commis chefs with two years', and not in fast-food outlets.
Every role on a brief is mapped to its SOC code and checked against the current list and quota balance before sourcing; quota roles are filed early in the window because DETE processes in order of receipt and rejects applications still in the queue when a quota fills. The Review report ties future quotas to retention — employers whose permit holders stay are the ones the next review listens to.
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.
DETE announces filled quotas on its employment-permits updates page; the legal figures are in S.I. 213/2026. We check the balance on the day of filing.
Yes. Scaffolding sits in other construction operatives and elementary construction occupations, which remain on the Ineligible List; roofers, cladders, steel fixers and curtain wallers are open.
Only drivers who already hold an EU category CE or C1E licence recognised in Ireland; a Philippine licence does not qualify. For most hauliers the realistic Filipino route to Ireland is through other EU countries first.
The Review report rounded several quotas; the Statutory Instrument (S.I. 213/2026) carries the legal figures — butchers 548 rather than 400, care workers 1,495 rather than 1,000, body repairers 102 rather than 100.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.