Ireland Occupation Shortage List 2026 (Critical Skills)

Last updated: 11 October 2026 | Information verified: 11 October 2026 against S.I. No. 213 of 2026 (Employment Permits (Amendment) Regulations 2026) and the DETE Critical Skills Occupations List and Ineligible Occupations List pages. Salary thresholds checked 13 October 2026 against S.I. No. 643 of 2025.

Disclaimer: General information, not immigration or legal advice. These lists change by statutory instrument — the most recent amendment, S.I. No. 213 of 2026, was signed on 13 May 2026. Always confirm the current position on the official DETE pages linked below before making decisions.

Ireland does not have a single document called a “shortage occupation list.” What people usually mean by that phrase is the Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL): highly skilled roles that DETE describes as in high demand, where the required skills are not always available in the resident labour force.

If your occupation is on this list and you have a qualifying job offer, the Critical Skills Employment Permit is the strongest route Ireland offers: no Labour Market Needs Test, family reunification from day one, a working spouse, and Stamp 4 after 21 months. This page explains what the official lists contain, what they do and do not establish, and how to check your own role.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer: What Is Ireland’s Shortage Occupation List?

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It is the Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL), maintained by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). Listed occupations can qualify for the Critical Skills Employment Permit at €40,904 with a relevant degree. The most recent amendment is S.I. No. 213 of 2026, signed on 13 May 2026. A separate Ineligible Occupations List (IOL) sets out roles for which employment permits are not granted. Being on the CSOL makes an occupation eligible; it does not mean a vacancy exists or that an employer will sponsor you.

How the Lists Work

Ireland’s system uses two official lists that sit at opposite ends:

The Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL) — highly skilled roles eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit, subject to the salary and qualification conditions attached to each entry.
The Ineligible Occupations List (IOL) — roles where, in DETE’s words, there is evidence of sufficient Irish and EEA workers. Employment permits are not granted for these occupations, apart from the specific exceptions written into the list.

Anything that is on neither list sits in the middle: not “critical,” but not excluded either. Those roles can usually be considered for a General Employment Permit, provided the salary reaches the minimum (generally €36,605) and the other criteria are met. In most cases the employer must also run a Labour Market Needs Test. Some General Employment Permit roles are also capped by quotas (see below).

Where your role sits	What it means
On the CSOL	Eligible for a Critical Skills permit at €40,904 with a relevant degree; no Labour Market Needs Test
On neither list	General Employment Permit possible, generally at €36,605, usually with a Labour Market Needs Test; some roles are under quota
On the IOL	Employment permits not granted, unless the role falls within a listed exception

What These Lists Establish — and What They Don’t

The lists answer one question: is this occupation eligible for an employment permit, and under which permit? They do not answer the questions most job seekers really care about.

They are not a measure of current hiring. For where employers are actually recruiting, see our guide to what jobs are in demand in Ireland.
They are not proof of a vacancy or a job offer. A permit application can only be made once an employer has offered you a qualifying job.
They do not show which employers will sponsor. Whether a particular employer is willing to apply for a permit is the employer’s decision. Our guide to jobs in Ireland with visa sponsorship explains how to find employers that do.
They are not a guarantee. Salary, qualifications, the conditions attached to the entry and the employer’s own compliance must all be satisfied.

The May 2026 Amendment (S.I. No. 213 of 2026)

The current lists are set out in the Employment Permits (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. No. 213 of 2026). The regulations were signed on 13 May 2026, and notice of them was published in Iris Oifigiúil on 22 May 2026. The text of the regulations does not contain a separate commencement date.

DETE’s notice of 29 May 2026 on the Employment Permits Occupations Lists – Report of the Review 2025 says the review confirmed 32 changes:

6 roles recommended for Critical Skills Employment Permits
9 roles recommended for General Employment Permits without a quota
2 roles recommended for General Employment Permits with new quotas
15 roles recommended for quota renewals

DETE also notes that new quotas, and renewed quotas for roles whose quota had expired, require a new Labour Market Needs Test, and that the earliest date a valid General Employment Permit application could be submitted for those roles was 10 June 2026.

Entries now on the CSOL include (from Schedule 3 of S.I. No. 213 of 2026):

Agronomist (SOC 2112)
Meteorologist and operational forecaster (SOC 2113)
Optometrist / ophthalmic optician in community eye care (SOC 2214)
Cardiac physiologist and respiratory physiologist (SOC 2217; respiratory physiologist also appears under SOC 3218)
Intellectual property professionals (SOC 2419)
Geospatial, land and geomatics surveyor (SOC 2434)
Construction planner and construction scheduler (SOC 2436)
Riggers within the games industry (SOC 3417)

Exceptions within the IOL. The current Ineligible Occupations List (Schedule 4) carves out specific roles inside otherwise ineligible categories. Examples include sea fishers in the Irish fishing fleet and speciality forestry harvesting technicians (SOC 5119), lineworkers working on behalf of ESB Networks (SOC 5249), steel fixers and curtain wallers (SOC 5319), fish filleters (SOC 5433), seafood operatives (SOC 8111), industrial machine knitters (SOC 8137) and concrete pump operators (SOC 8229). Check the exact wording of each exception on the official list.

Because many websites still show older versions of these lists, always compare against the current DETE files rather than a copied list.

Quotas for Some General Employment Permit Roles

Some General Employment Permit occupations are capped. Schedule 5 of S.I. No. 213 of 2026 sets maximum numbers of permits for roles such as care workers or home carers (1,495), horticulture workers (971), butchers and boners (548), fish filleters (50) and seafood operatives (100). Quotas open, fill and are renewed at different times, so check DETE’s latest employment permit updates for the current position before an application is made.

Critical Skills Occupations by Sector

This is a practical summary organised by field, with the SOC category where useful. It is not the full statutory text — many entries carry specific qualification, specialism or experience conditions — so always confirm your exact role against the official DETE Critical Skills Occupations List.

Information Technology

IT and telecoms directors (SOC 1136)
IT specialist managers, including BIM Managers (2133)
IT project and programme managers (2134)
IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (2135)
Programmers and software development professionals (2136)
Web design and development, and other ICT professionals (2137, 2139)

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Senior health services and public health managers (1181)
Medical practitioners (2211)
Psychologists (2212)
Pharmacists and industrial pharmacists (2213)
Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians in community eye care (2214)
Radiographers, radiation therapists, and cardiac and respiratory physiologists (2217)
Podiatrists and chiropodists (2218)
Audiologists, perfusionists, dietitians and medical scientists (2219)
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, orthoptists (2221–2229)
Registered nurses (2231) and registered midwives (2232)
Paramedics registered with PHECC (3213)
Prosthetists, orthotists and respiratory physiologists (3218)

Engineering

Civil, structural and site engineers (2121)
Mechanical engineers (2122)
Electrical engineers (2123)
Electronics engineers in named specialisms (2124)
Design and development engineers (2126)
Production and process engineers, including chemical engineers (2127)
Materials scientists, setting-out engineers, façade designers, project engineers (2129)

Science and Pharmaceuticals

Chemical scientists (2111)
Biological scientists, medical laboratory scientists and agronomists (2112)
Physical scientists in named specialisms, including meteorologists and operational forecasters (2113)
Quality control and planning engineers (2461)
Quality assurance and regulatory professionals (2462)
Environmental health professionals (2463)

Finance and Business

Chartered and certified accountants and taxation experts in named specialisms (2421)
Management consultants and business analysts in big data analytics (2423)
Business and financial project management professionals in named specialisms (2424)
Actuaries, economists and statisticians in big data specialisms (2425)
Business sales executives and international marketing experts in defined roles (3542, 3543)

Construction and Surveying

Site managers (1122)
Architects (2431)
Town planning officers (2432)
Quantity surveyors (2433)
Geospatial, land and geomatics surveyors (2434)
Architectural technologists (2435)
Construction project managers, including construction planners and schedulers (2436)
Estimators (3531) and BIM coordinators and technicians (3122)

Other Professional Roles

Social workers (2442)
Academics meeting the stated qualification conditions (2311)
Professional foresters and resource modelling and earth observation analysts (1213)
Intellectual property professionals (2419)
Animation and games roles, including art directors, background and design artists, layout designers and riggers (2473, 3411, 3421, 3417)
High-performance coaches and directors (3442)

How to Check Your Own Occupation

Find your closest SOC category on the official DETE Critical Skills Occupations List. Match on duties, not job title — titles vary between companies and countries.
Read the conditions attached to the entry. Many roles are only eligible in named specialisms, or require a specific qualification level. Being in the right SOC category is not always enough on its own.
Confirm the salary. €40,904 for a listed role with a relevant degree, or for nurses, midwives and radiographers whose qualification is accepted by NMBI or CORU (€36,848 if your relevant degree was awarded in the last 12 months). These thresholds, and minimum hourly rates, are set by S.I. No. 643 of 2025 from 1 March 2026. Only basic salary (and qualifying health insurance payments) counts.
If your role is not listed, check the Ineligible Occupations List. If it is not there either, a General Employment Permit may be your route.

What If Your Role Is Not on the List?

Not being on the Critical Skills list is not the end. Three routes remain:

General Employment Permit — for roles not on the Ineligible Occupations List, generally at €36,605, with a Labour Market Needs Test in most cases. Our General Employment Permit guide covers this.
The high-salary route — a role paying €68,911 or more that is not on the Ineligible Occupations List can qualify for a Critical Skills permit even without being specifically listed.
Intra-Company Transfer — if you already work for a multinational with an Irish office.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ireland’s shortage occupation list?

It is the Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL), maintained by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Listed occupations can qualify for the Critical Skills Employment Permit at €40,904 with a relevant degree, with no Labour Market Needs Test required.

When was the Critical Skills Occupations List last updated?

The most recent amendment is S.I. No. 213 of 2026, the Employment Permits (Amendment) Regulations 2026, signed on 13 May 2026. DETE’s notice of 29 May 2026 says the review behind it confirmed 32 changes, including six roles recommended for Critical Skills permits.

What is the difference between the Critical Skills list and the Ineligible list?

The Critical Skills Occupations List contains highly skilled roles eligible for the Critical Skills permit. The Ineligible Occupations List contains roles for which employment permits are not granted, apart from listed exceptions. Roles on neither list can usually be considered for a General Employment Permit.

How do I know if my job is on the Critical Skills list?

Find your closest Standard Occupational Classification category on the official DETE list and match on duties rather than job title. Many entries also carry specific qualification or specialism conditions, so read the full entry, not just the category name.

What salary do I need for a Critical Skills occupation?

€40,904 per year for a listed occupation with a relevant degree. Only basic salary and qualifying health insurance payments count. A lower threshold of €36,848 applies where the applicant has a relevant degree (level 8 or higher) awarded within the 12 months before the application date.

What if my occupation is not on the list?

You may still qualify for a General Employment Permit (generally €36,605) if the role is not on the Ineligible Occupations List, or for a Critical Skills permit if the role pays €68,911 or more. An intra-company transfer is another route if you work for a multinational with an Irish office.

How often does the shortage list change?

It changes by statutory instrument, with no fixed schedule. The most recent amendment was signed in May 2026; salary thresholds changed separately on 1 March 2026. Always verify against the current DETE page before making decisions.

Does being on the list guarantee a permit?

No. It means the occupation is eligible. You still need a qualifying job offer from an employer willing to apply, and the salary, your qualifications, the conditions attached to the occupation and the employer’s compliance must all be met.

Conclusion

The Critical Skills Occupations List decides whether an occupation can use Ireland’s strongest employment permit route. If your occupation is on it, you have a qualifying job offer and the salary clears €40,904, you are in the strongest position the system offers.

Two habits matter: match your role on duties and SOC code rather than job title, and always check the current DETE list, because it changes by statutory instrument and many copies circulating online are out of date.

Next, read our Critical Skills Employment Permit guide for the full application process, or what jobs are in demand in Ireland for the wider market picture.

Ireland Occupation Shortage List 2026: Critical Skills Occupations Explained