The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has published the June 2026 employment permit statistics. For international candidates, the headline is clear: June posted the highest monthly permit activity of 2026 so far, reaching 3,475 employment permits issued in the company file [2].
DETE's latest 2026 company file shows 3,475 employment permits issued in June 2026, compared with 3,282 in May. That is a 5.9% month-on-month increase and the largest single-month total in the current dataset [2].
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 employer permit activity, not as proof that a company is hiring today or will sponsor every similar role. Legal entity names in DETE files may differ from consumer-facing brand names.
Official source baseline
This article is based on the June 2026 DETE Employment Permit Statistics files, downloaded from the official publication page on 6 July 2026 [1]:
| File | Source |
|---|---|
| Company file | Employment permits issued to companies 2026 [2] |
| Sector file | Employment permits by sector 2026 [3] |
| County file | Employment permits by county 2026 [4] |
| Nationality file | Employment permits by nationality 2026 [5] |
The June 2026 files include monthly permit counts from January to June in the company and sector files. The county and nationality files are published as year-to-date tables and are labelled as YTD below.
Note on April 2026 revision: The current June 2026 company file shows 3,339 permits for April, up from the 3,330 shown in the May file. DETE may revise prior-month counts in subsequent publications. Previous monthly reports on IrishTalents used the earlier figure.
Executive summary
- DETE's company file shows 3,475 employment permits issued in June 2026, compared with 3,282 in May [2].
- That is a 193-permit month-on-month increase, or +5.9% — the highest monthly total in 2026 so far.
- Compared with June 2025's 1,684 permits in the DETE company file [6], June 2026 was materially higher. Use this comparison carefully because publication patterns can vary by file and year.
- Year-to-date 2026 permit activity reached 19,044 permits issued through June [2][3]. All four official DETE files reconcile to 19,044 permits issued YTD.
- Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC led June with 112 permits, followed by Anglo Beef Processors Ireland Unlimited Company (40), Dawn Meats Ireland UC (39), and Google Ireland Limited (33) [2].
- Health and social work remained the largest sector in the official DETE classification, with 939 permits issued in June and 5,153 YTD [3].
- For candidates, June reinforces that issued-permit activity in Q2 2026 operated at an elevated level with a broad sector mix.
Key numbers for June 2026
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employment permits issued in June 2026 | 3,475 | DETE company and sector files [2][3] |
| May 2026 permits | 3,282 | Previous month in the same company file [2] |
| Month-on-month change | +193 / +5.9% | June vs May 2026 |
| June 2025 permits | 1,684 | DETE 2025 company file [6] |
| Year-on-year change | +1,791 / +106.4% | Use cautiously — file patterns can differ |
| January–June 2026 YTD permits | 19,044 | All four DETE files reconcile [2][3][4][5] |
| June share of H1 2026 total | 18.2% | June as a share of January–June |
| Top employer in June | Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC | 112 June permits [2] |
| Top June sector (DETE classification) | Health & Social Work Activities | 939 June permits [3] |
| Top YTD county | Dublin | 8,392 issued YTD [4] |
| Top YTD nationality | India | 5,518 issued YTD [5] |
Top employers by June permit activity [2]
These are the employers with the highest June 2026 permit counts in the official DETE company file. Legal entity names are shown as they appear in the DETE file.
| Rank | Employer | June | May | Jan–Jun total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC | 112 | 102 | 228 |
| 2 | Anglo Beef Processors Ireland Unlimited Company | 40 | 52 | 111 |
| 3 | Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 39 | 113 | 287 |
| 4 | Google Ireland Limited | 33 | 35 | 158 |
| 5 | Redwood Extended Care Facility Unlimited Company | 32 | 5 | 175 |
| 6 | Cork University Hospital | 30 | 18 | 116 |
| 7 | Liffey Meats (Cavan) Unlimited Company | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| 8 | FieldCore Service Solutions International LLC | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| 9 | Letterkenny University Hospital | 28 | 9 | 50 |
| 10 | University Limerick Hospitals Group | 24 | 27 | 81 |
The largest employer movements from May to June were concentrated in meat processing, healthcare, and employers that had recorded zero permits in May. Liffey Meats (Cavan) and FieldCore both recorded notable June totals. Redwood Extended Care Facility more than tripled from 5 to 32 permits. Cork University Hospital and Letterkenny University Hospital both increased.
Top sectors in June 2026 [3]
Official DETE sector classification, which groups permits by NACE sector code. The sector file distinguishes manufacturing subcategories (C) and professional services subcategories (M).
| Rank | Sector (DETE classification) | June | May | Jan–Jun total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q — Health & Social Work Activities | 939 | 848 | 5,153 |
| 2 | I — Accommodation & Food Services Activities | 340 | 266 | 1,969 |
| 3 | J — Information & Communication Activities | 308 | 337 | 1,916 |
| 4 | C — Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco | 264 | 161 | 612 |
| 5 | F — Construction | 248 | 229 | 1,246 |
| 6 | S — Other Service Activities | 240 | 277 | 1,565 |
| 7 | A — Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 228 | 343 | 1,343 |
| 8 | C — All Other Manufacturing | 152 | 110 | 884 |
| 9 | K — Financial & Insurance Activities | 133 | 121 | 700 |
| 10 | H — Transport & Storage | 120 | 124 | 867 |
Note: The official DETE sector file uses NACE classification codes. This is distinct from IrishTalents' own company enrichment, which may classify the same companies into different industry buckets. The official DETE sector totals above reconcile to the 19,044 YTD total; IrishTalents enriched classifications cover a subset of companies and may show different numbers.
The largest June sector increases were:
- Health & Social Work: +91 permits (939 vs 848)
- Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco: +103 permits (264 vs 161)
- Construction: +19 permits (248 vs 229)
- Financial & Insurance: +12 permits (133 vs 121)
Health and social work led by a wide margin in both monthly volume and YTD total. The manufacturing of food, drink and tobacco had the largest percentage increase, driven by the meat processing employers that also led the company ranking.
Top counties year-to-date in 2026 [4]
DETE's county file is year-to-date through June 2026. Each county shows total permits issued and refused in the January–June period.
| Rank | County | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 8,392 | 882 |
| 2 | Cork | 1,907 | 258 |
| 3 | Meath | 870 | 80 |
| 4 | Limerick | 840 | 123 |
| 5 | Kildare | 816 | 116 |
| 6 | Galway | 720 | 121 |
| 7 | Waterford | 628 | 30 |
| 8 | Kerry | 508 | 30 |
| 9 | Wexford | 435 | 45 |
| 10 | Louth | 423 | 28 |
Dublin accounts for 44% of the YTD issued total in the county file. The remaining 56% is distributed across every other county, with Cork, Meath, Limerick, Kildare, and Galway as the next-largest clusters. For candidates whose roles are not tied to a Dublin office, the non-Dublin permit activity is substantial across healthcare, food manufacturing, transport, and construction.
Top nationalities year-to-date in 2026 [5]
DETE's nationality file is year-to-date through June 2026.
| Rank | Nationality | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 5,518 | 499 |
| 2 | Philippines | 2,863 | 283 |
| 3 | Brazil | 2,447 | 382 |
| 4 | China | 1,129 | 158 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 945 | 102 |
| 6 | South Africa | 710 | 92 |
| 7 | United States of America | 590 | 27 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 543 | 90 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 461 | 41 |
| 10 | Nigeria | 430 | 60 |
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. June delivered the highest monthly permit volume of 2026
At 3,475 permits, June surpassed every previous month in the current company file. This is the most useful headline signal for candidates: elevated issued-permit activity in Q2 2026 was consistent, not limited to a single spike.
2. Health and social work leads by a wide margin
With 939 permits in June and 5,153 YTD, health and social work is the dominant sector in the official DETE classification. If your background is healthcare-related, the permit-activity signal is the strongest single category in the dataset. However, registration, professional recognition, and English-language requirements are often separate steps outside the employment permit process.
3. Meat processing and food manufacturing drove significant June activity
Rosderra (112), Anglo Beef Processors (40), Dawn Meats (39), and Liffey Meats (30) led the June employer ranking. The Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco sector posted the largest sector increase. Candidates with experience in food production, quality, engineering, operations, logistics, or maintenance should not limit their sponsorship research to technology roles.
4. Technology permits remained visible but concentrated
Google Ireland Limited (33 June permits), along with other technology employers in the broader YTD ranking, show that tech-sector permit activity continues. The information and communication sector (308 June permits) remains a meaningful category. The key question for candidates remains role fit: does the employer sponsor your function, at your level, under a realistic permit route?
5. Location flexibility widens available research targets
Dublin accounts for roughly 44% of YTD county-level permits, which means more than half of identified permit activity is outside the capital. Cork, Meath, Limerick, Kildare, and Galway each show hundreds of permits. County-level data is YTD, not a monthly snapshot, but the geographic spread confirms that employer permit activity is not Dublin-only.
6. Permit data should shape targeting before applying
If an employer appears in the DETE company file — especially repeatedly — treat it as a research lead. The next question is narrower: does this employer sponsor roles like yours, at salaries and occupation levels that can fit current rules? One-month movers are leads, not conclusions.
Limitations and caveats
- DETE employment permit files show permits issued, not open jobs, applications submitted, hires made, or future employer plans.
- Company names in DETE files are legal entities and may differ from consumer-facing brand names.
- County and nationality files are year-to-date totals, not June-only rankings.
- The official DETE sector file uses NACE classification codes, which differ from IrishTalents' company enrichment methodology.
- The published files used for this report do not include a detailed occupation or job-title table.
- Refused counts in the official files show application outcomes but are not analysed here for refusal rates or approval odds.
- Employment permit figures do not determine personal eligibility. Official requirements can change, and individual circumstances vary.
- DETE may revise prior-month counts in subsequent publications. The April 2026 figure in this report (3,339) reflects the latest revision.
Sources
Official DETE files: [1] Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Employment Permit Statistics publication page — enterprise.gov.ie [2] Employment permits issued to companies 2026 — June file, downloaded 6 July 2026, 19,044 permits issued YTD [3] Employment permits by sector 2026 — June file, downloaded 6 July 2026, 19,044 permits issued YTD [4] Employment permits by county 2026 — June file, downloaded 6 July 2026, 19,044 permits issued YTD [5] Employment permits by nationality 2026 — June file, downloaded 6 July 2026, 19,044 permits issued YTD [6] DETE 2025 company file — for year-on-year comparison (June 2025: 1,684 permits)
What to do next
If you are using this report to guide your Irish job search:
- Shortlist employers and sectors from the tables above that match your background.
- Check whether the role looks compatible with a realistic employment-permit path.
- Use the permit fit check to clarify your likely route before applying broadly.
- Use the companies directory to research individual employer profiles with permit history, location, and sector context.
- Keep reading official DETE guidance before making immigration or relocation decisions.
Issued-permit data is most useful when it changes your behaviour: fewer generic applications, more targeted employer research, and better questions before investing time in a role.