Dublin at a Glance

Doing Business in Dublin

Although Ireland's economic future used to be brighter, business in Dublin still has potential.

As 40% of all jobs in Ireland are located in Dublin, many expats decide on working in Dublin. The period of economic prosperity – the Celtic Tiger era – made Dublin one of the wealthiest cities on earth. Read our guide on working in Dublin to learn more about work permits, the job search, and more.

Specialists Wanted

Your chances of employment in Ireland are best if you have qualifications in an occupation which Ireland lacks specialists in, and if you are able to secure a well-paying job. A list of key occupations in which Ireland is recruiting highly skilled expat personnel can be checked on the pages of the Citizens Information Board.

Highly Skilled, Highly Paid

The list of occupations that are not eligible for a work permit in Ireland is unfortunately quite a bit longer. The new blacklist of ineligible trades came into effect in July 2009 and includes work in the tourism branch, many different crafts, and child care, amongst others. If you are employed in one of the occupations on this list, you might want to look for another expat destination.

Generally speaking, you have to make more than 30,000€ annually to even be allowed to take up employment in Ireland. And although costs of living and housing have fallen considerably since the crisis began, a lower salary is probably not very desirable in a city like Dublin. Your chances of getting a work permit (or its ‘deluxe edition’, the Green Card Permit) are best if you earn more than 60,000€.

Your First Steps

Of course, you will only be able to make sure you earn those figures if you have an employment contract before you move to Dublin. The preferable modus operandi these days appears to be personal application with companies in Dublin.

If you have made the decision of going to live in Dublin and want to see it through, it could be best to visit the city well in advance and look for work in person, rather than browsing Internet job portals. Get yourself an Irish SIM card and start advertising your qualifications with as many employers as necessary. You might find that recruiters will welcome your initiative!

Labor Markets Test

There is still a possibility that you might not get the job of your dreams even if you came to an agreement with your employer. The compulsory Labour Markets Test requires companies to advertise vacancies with the FÁS and EURES employment networks (the national and European network, respectively) for eight weeks. Additionally, the vacancy has to be advertised in the local media – e.g. newspapers – for six days. Only if nobody from Ireland or the EEA is fit for the job, is the employer allowed to consider applicants of other nationalities.