Ireland Employment Permit Insights: April 2026
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has published April 2026 employment permit statistics. For international candidates, the headline is clear: April was the strongest month of 2026 so far in the official company and sector files, with permits issued rising again after March.
This report turns the official DETE spreadsheets into a candidate-facing snapshot: which employers were most active, which sectors moved, where permits are concentrated, and what the month suggests for your Irish job-search strategy.
Data note: Employment permits are not the same as job vacancies, job offers, or visa approvals. They show permits issued by DETE. Use them as one signal of sponsor activity, not as proof that a company is hiring today or will sponsor every similar role.
Official source baseline
This article is based on DETE's published Employment Permit Statistics files for 2026 and 2025:
- DETE Employment Permit Statistics
- Employment Permit Statistics for 2026
- Employment Permit Statistics for 2025
The April 2026 company and sector files include monthly counts from January to April. The nationality and county files published by DETE are year-to-date totals rather than monthly breakdowns, so those sections below are labelled as year-to-date.
Executive summary
- DETE's company file shows 3,322 employment permits issued in April 2026, up from 2,904 in March.
- That is a 14.4% month-on-month increase and the highest monthly company-file total in 2026 so far.
- Compared with April 2025's 1,668 permits, April 2026 was materially higher. Treat that comparison carefully because monthly publication patterns can vary by file and year.
- Healthcare and social work remained the largest sector in April, with 924 permits issued.
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing had the biggest sector jump from March to April, rising from 127 to 324 permits.
- Dawn Meats Ireland UC, Mowlam Healthcare Services Unlimited Company, and Kellor Services (IRE) Limited were among the most active employers in April.
- Year-to-date county totals remain heavily Dublin-centred, but Cork, Meath, Kildare, Limerick, and Galway also show meaningful permit activity.
- For candidates, the useful signal is not just “who sponsored most.” It is where repeated employer, sector, and location activity overlaps with your role, salary level, and permit route.
Key numbers for April 2026
| Metric | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employment permits issued in April 2026 | 3,322 | DETE company and sector files |
| March 2026 permits | 2,904 | Previous month in the same file |
| Month-on-month change | +418 / +14.4% | April vs March 2026 |
| April 2025 permits | 1,668 | DETE 2025 company file |
| Year-on-year change | +1,654 / +99.2% | Use cautiously because publication patterns can differ |
| 2026 year-to-date permits | 12,219 | January-April 2026 total in DETE files |
| Top April employer | Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 125 permits in April |
| Top April sector | Health & Social Work Activities | 924 permits in April |
| Top year-to-date county | Dublin | 5,515 permits issued YTD |
| Top year-to-date nationality | India | 3,728 permits issued YTD |
Top employers in April 2026
These are the employers with the highest April 2026 permit counts in DETE's company file.
| Rank | Employer | April permits | March permits | Jan-Apr total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 125 | 1 | 134 |
| 2 | Mowlam Healthcare Services Unlimited Company | 72 | 0 | 74 |
| 3 | Kellor Services (IRE) Limited | 65 | 0 | 65 |
| 4 | Costern Unlimited Company | 52 | 22 | 108 |
| 5 | Starrus Eco Holding Limited | 37 | 1 | 44 |
| 6 | Nua Healthcare Services Limited | 35 | 11 | 62 |
| 7 | Resilience Healthcare Limited | 26 | 24 | 91 |
| 8 | Tata Consultancy Services Limited | 25 | 9 | 64 |
| 9 | Keelings Retail Unlimited Company | 25 | 1 | 27 |
| 10 | McCarren Meats Unlimited Company | 25 | 0 | 25 |
Employers with notable April increases
The largest employer increases from March to April were concentrated in meat processing, healthcare, services, and food/agriculture-linked employers.
| Employer | March | April | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 1 | 125 | +124 |
| Mowlam Healthcare Services Unlimited Company | 0 | 72 | +72 |
| Kellor Services (IRE) Limited | 0 | 65 | +65 |
| Starrus Eco Holding Limited | 1 | 37 | +36 |
| Costern Unlimited Company | 22 | 52 | +30 |
| McCarren Meats Unlimited Company | 0 | 25 | +25 |
| Keelings Retail Unlimited Company | 1 | 25 | +24 |
| Nua Healthcare Services Limited | 11 | 35 | +24 |
| Glanua Ireland Limited | 1 | 24 | +23 |
| Allpro Security Services Ireland Limited | 0 | 21 | +21 |
For candidates, this does not mean every one of these employers has current openings. It does mean these names are worth checking against live roles, your occupation, and your ability to meet the relevant employment-permit criteria.
Top sectors in April 2026
| Rank | Sector | April permits | March permits | Jan-Apr total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health & Social Work Activities | 924 | 833 | 3,345 |
| 2 | Accommodation & Food Services Activities | 361 | 311 | 1,341 |
| 3 | Other Service Activities | 340 | 186 | 1,019 |
| 4 | Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 324 | 127 | 751 |
| 5 | Information & Communication Activities | 278 | 305 | 1,295 |
| 6 | Construction | 215 | 197 | 760 |
| 7 | All Other Manufacturing | 145 | 151 | 618 |
| 8 | Transport & Storage | 118 | 196 | 616 |
| 9 | Financial & Insurance Activities | 84 | 130 | 444 |
| 10 | Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco | 69 | 29 | 179 |
The largest month-on-month sector jumps were:
- Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: +197 permits
- Other Service Activities: +154 permits
- Health & Social Work Activities: +91 permits
- Accommodation & Food Services Activities: +50 permits
- Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco: +40 permits
The April sector mix is a useful reminder that Irish employment permits are not only a technology story. Healthcare, food, agriculture, services, hospitality, and construction all appear prominently in the official files.
Top counties year-to-date in 2026
DETE's county file is published as a year-to-date issued/refused table, not as a monthly April-only county file.
| Rank | County | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 5,515 | 661 |
| 2 | Cork | 1,241 | 171 |
| 3 | Meath | 648 | 44 |
| 4 | Kildare | 532 | 93 |
| 5 | Limerick | 527 | 93 |
| 6 | Galway | 421 | 76 |
| 7 | Waterford | 364 | 14 |
| 8 | Kerry | 354 | 19 |
| 9 | Wexford | 296 | 24 |
| 10 | Clare | 268 | 28 |
Dublin still dominates the year-to-date geography, but the spread across Cork, Meath, Kildare, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Kerry, and Wexford matters for candidates who are willing to consider roles outside the capital.
Top nationalities year-to-date in 2026
DETE's nationality file is also year-to-date, so this is not an April-only ranking.
| Rank | Nationality | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 3,728 | 338 |
| 2 | Philippines | 1,913 | 177 |
| 3 | Brazil | 1,397 | 276 |
| 4 | China | 667 | 109 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 499 | 69 |
| 6 | South Africa | 491 | 67 |
| 7 | Zimbabwe | 373 | 63 |
| 8 | United States of America | 344 | 19 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 321 | 26 |
| 10 | Nigeria | 293 | 50 |
These figures show where issued permits are concentrated by nationality. They should not be used to infer individual eligibility, approval odds, candidate quality, or employer preference.
Candidate-facing insights
1. Use employer history as a filter, not a guarantee
A company appearing in the DETE file has sponsored at least one employment permit in the period shown. That is useful. But it is not a promise that the company is hiring now, sponsoring your role, or able to support your specific permit route.
Use the IrishTalents companies directory to combine sponsor history with live research, role fit, and sector context.
2. Healthcare remains the biggest permit signal
Health and social work was the top April sector and the top year-to-date sector in the DETE file. If your background is healthcare-related, the opportunity is real, but it may also involve registration, professional recognition, English-language requirements, or other role-specific steps outside the employment permit itself.
3. Non-tech sectors deserve more attention
Information and communication activity remains important, but April's largest jumps came from agriculture, services, health, hospitality, and food manufacturing. Candidates who only search for “tech visa sponsorship Ireland” may miss active sponsor patterns in other sectors.
4. Location flexibility can widen your search
Dublin is still the largest county in the year-to-date file, but Cork, Meath, Kildare, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Kerry, and Wexford all show meaningful permit activity. If your role is not tied to a Dublin-only market, widening the search can surface more realistic sponsorship paths.
5. Permit data should shape your targeting before you apply
If an employer has no visible sponsor history in your sector, your application may still succeed, but the sponsorship friction is higher. If an employer has repeated permit activity, your next question should be narrower: do they sponsor roles like yours, at salaries and occupation levels that can fit current rules?
Limitations and caveats
- DETE employment permit files show permits issued, not open jobs, applications submitted, hires made, or future employer plans.
- Company names are legal entities and may differ from consumer-facing brand names.
- County and nationality files are year-to-date in the published DETE files used here; they are not April-only rankings.
- The published files used for this report do not include a detailed occupation/job-title table, so this article does not claim a top-occupation ranking.
- Refused counts are included in the official files, but this article does not infer refusal rates or candidate outcomes from them.
- Employment permit figures do not determine your personal eligibility. Official requirements can change, and specific circumstances vary.
What to do next
If you are using this report to guide your Irish job search:
- Shortlist employers and sectors that match your background.
- Check whether the role looks compatible with a realistic employment-permit path.
- Use the visa eligibility check to clarify your likely route before you apply broadly.
- Use the companies directory to focus on employers with stronger sponsor signals.
- Keep reading official DETE guidance before making immigration or relocation decisions.
Employment permit data is most useful when it changes your behaviour: fewer generic applications, more targeted employer research, and better questions before you invest time in a role.