Ireland Employment Permit Insights: May 2026
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has published the May 2026 employment permit statistics. For international candidates, the headline is more nuanced than a simple "up" or "down": May stayed close to April's elevated level, while the employer and sector mix shifted again.
DETE's current 2026 company file shows 3,280 employment permits issued in May 2026, compared with 3,330 in April. That is a small 1.5% month-on-month decline, but May still added more than one fifth of the year-to-date permit activity in the file.
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 May 2026 company and sector files include monthly counts from January to May. The nationality and county files published by DETE are year-to-date totals rather than monthly May-only breakdowns, so those sections below are labelled as year-to-date.
Executive summary
- DETE's company file shows 3,280 employment permits issued in May 2026, compared with 3,330 in April.
- That is a 50-permit month-on-month decrease, or -1.5%, so May was broadly stable rather than a sharp reversal.
- Compared with May 2025's 1,820 permits, May 2026 was 1,460 permits higher. Treat that comparison carefully because publication patterns can vary by file and year.
- Year-to-date 2026 permit activity reached 15,535 permits issued in the company file through May.
- Healthcare and social work remained the largest sector in May, with 846 permits issued, even after easing from April.
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing, information and communication, food manufacturing, construction, and finance all appeared prominently in the May sector mix.
- Compared with April, the clearest change was not total volume but rotation: food manufacturing, information and communication, finance, construction, and selected professional services increased while healthcare, hospitality, and other services eased.
- Dawn Meats Ireland UC stayed at the top, while Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC, Allpro Security Services Ireland Limited, Anglo Beef Processors Ireland Unlimited Company, and Google Ireland Limited were among the most active May employers.
- For candidates, the useful signal is not "these companies are hiring now." It is where repeated employer, sector, and location activity overlaps with your role, salary level, and permit route.
Key numbers for May 2026
| Metric | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employment permits issued in May 2026 | 3,280 | DETE company and sector files |
| April 2026 permits | 3,330 | Previous month in the current DETE 2026 file |
| Month-on-month change | -50 / -1.5% | May vs April 2026 |
| May 2025 permits | 1,820 | DETE 2025 company file |
| Year-on-year change | +1,460 / +80.2% | Use cautiously because publication patterns can differ |
| 2026 year-to-date permits | 15,535 | January-May 2026 total in DETE files |
| May share of 2026 YTD permits | 21.1% | May as a share of Jan-May total |
| Top May employer | Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 113 permits in May |
| Top May sector | Health & Social Work Activities | 846 permits in May |
| Top year-to-date county | Dublin | 6,804 permits issued YTD |
| Top year-to-date nationality | India | 4,603 permits issued YTD |
Top employers in May 2026
These are the employers with the highest May 2026 permit counts in DETE's company file.
| Rank | Employer | May permits | April permits | Jan-May total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawn Meats Ireland UC | 113 | 125 | 248 |
| 2 | Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC | 102 | 5 | 116 |
| 3 | Allpro Security Services Ireland Limited | 79 | 20 | 99 |
| 4 | Anglo Beef Processors Ireland Unlimited Company | 52 | 5 | 71 |
| 5 | Google Ireland Limited | 35 | 16 | 125 |
| 6 | Bus Éireann - Irish Bus | 29 | 0 | 54 |
| 7 | Galway University Hospital | 27 | 1 | 37 |
| 8 | Nua Healthcare Services Limited | 27 | 35 | 89 |
| 9 | University Limerick Hospitals Group | 27 | 7 | 57 |
| 10 | Mowlam Healthcare Services Unlimited Company | 26 | 70 | 98 |
Employers with notable May increases
The largest employer increases from April to May were concentrated in meat processing, security services, transport, healthcare, and selected technology employers.
| Employer | April | May | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosderra Irish Meats Group UC | 5 | 102 | +97 |
| Allpro Security Services Ireland Limited | 20 | 79 | +59 |
| Anglo Beef Processors Ireland Unlimited Company | 5 | 52 | +47 |
| Bus Éireann - Irish Bus | 0 | 29 | +29 |
| Galway University Hospital | 1 | 27 | +26 |
| University Limerick Hospitals Group | 7 | 27 | +20 |
| Google Ireland Limited | 16 | 35 | +19 |
| Cork University Hospital | 2 | 18 | +16 |
| Weltec Engineering Ltd | 3 | 19 | +16 |
| D&E Fitzgerald Wicklow Ltd | 0 | 15 | +15 |
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 whether the role can fit a realistic employment-permit path.
Top sectors in May 2026
| Rank | Sector | May permits | April permits | Jan-May total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health & Social Work Activities | 846 | 928 | 4,204 |
| 2 | Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 340 | 326 | 1,100 |
| 3 | Information & Communication Activities | 339 | 270 | 1,613 |
| 4 | Other Service Activities | 273 | 347 | 1,314 |
| 5 | Accommodation & Food Services Activities | 254 | 362 | 1,601 |
| 6 | Construction | 226 | 215 | 988 |
| 7 | Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco | 160 | 69 | 339 |
| 8 | Transport & Storage | 124 | 119 | 738 |
| 9 | Financial & Insurance Activities | 120 | 84 | 564 |
| 10 | All Other Manufacturing | 109 | 146 | 729 |
The largest month-on-month sector increases were:
- Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco: +91 permits
- Information & Communication Activities: +69 permits
- Financial & Insurance Activities: +36 permits
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation: +16 permits
- Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: +14 permits
- Manufacture of Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals: +13 permits
- All other Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities: +12 permits
- Construction: +11 permits
The May sector mix shows two things at once: healthcare remains the largest employment-permit signal, but the month's growth was not healthcare-only. Food manufacturing, information and communication, finance, agriculture, construction, and professional services all deserve attention depending on the candidate's background.
What changed from the April report?
The April 2026 report was mostly about acceleration: April was the strongest month of 2026 so far, led by healthcare, agriculture, other services, hospitality, and several sharp employer jumps.
May changes the interpretation. The total did not keep rising sharply, but it also did not collapse. The more useful candidate signal is that sponsor activity stayed high while rotating between employers and sectors:
- Employer movement rotated. Dawn Meats stayed highly active, but Rosderra, Allpro Security Services, Anglo Beef Processors, Bus Éireann, hospital groups, and Google became more visible in the May top movements.
- Sector growth rotated. April's largest sector increases were agriculture, other services, healthcare, hospitality, and food manufacturing. May's increases were led by food manufacturing, information and communication, finance, arts and recreation, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and construction.
- Healthcare remained large but eased. Health and social work stayed the top sector, yet the May growth story was broader than healthcare.
- Year-to-date geography and nationality are still context, not targeting rules. Dublin and India remain the largest YTD categories, but those tables should not be read as May-only demand or individual approval odds.
For candidates, this makes May a targeting update rather than a simple "market up" or "market down" story. Re-check employers that appear repeatedly, but also watch the rotating sector clusters where your role could realistically fit.
Top counties year-to-date in 2026
DETE's county file is published as a year-to-date issued/refused table, not as a May-only county file.
| Rank | County | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 6,804 | 749 |
| 2 | Cork | 1,563 | 199 |
| 3 | Meath | 734 | 61 |
| 4 | Limerick | 686 | 112 |
| 5 | Kildare | 654 | 107 |
| 6 | Galway | 611 | 87 |
| 7 | Waterford | 536 | 21 |
| 8 | Kerry | 442 | 21 |
| 9 | Wexford | 357 | 35 |
| 10 | Louth | 351 | 26 |
Dublin still dominates the year-to-date geography, but Cork, Meath, Limerick, Kildare, Galway, Waterford, Kerry, Wexford, and Louth all show enough permit activity to matter 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 a May-only ranking.
| Rank | Nationality | Issued YTD | Refused YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 4,603 | 414 |
| 2 | Philippines | 2,347 | 233 |
| 3 | Brazil | 1,898 | 315 |
| 4 | China | 909 | 126 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 745 | 87 |
| 6 | South Africa | 613 | 78 |
| 7 | United States of America | 475 | 19 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 446 | 74 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 380 | 33 |
| 10 | Nigeria | 364 | 51 |
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. Stable monthly volume still matters
May was slightly below April, but the change was small. A stable high-volume month can still be useful for candidates because it confirms that permit activity is not limited to one unusual spike.
2. Healthcare is still the largest signal, but not the only one
Health and social work remained the top May sector. 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. Food, agriculture, and meat processing deserve separate research
May's top employer movements included Dawn Meats, Rosderra, Anglo Beef Processors, and a sharp rise in Manufacture of Food, Drink & Tobacco. Candidates with food production, quality, engineering, operations, logistics, maintenance, or related experience should not treat sponsorship research as a tech-only exercise.
4. Tech did not disappear from the data
Information and communication activity increased from April to May, and Google Ireland Limited appeared in the top May employer list. Technology candidates should still research sponsor history, but the better question is role fit: does the employer sponsor your function, at your level, under a realistic permit route?
5. Location flexibility can widen your search
Dublin remains the largest county in the year-to-date file, but Cork, Meath, Limerick, Kildare, Galway, Waterford, Kerry, Wexford, and Louth 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.
6. Permit data should shape your targeting before you apply
If an employer appears repeatedly across monthly reports, your next question should be narrower than "do they sponsor?" Check whether they sponsor roles like yours, at salaries and occupation levels that can fit current rules. If an employer appears as a sharp one-month mover, treat it as a research lead rather than a conclusion.
For a safer company-level workflow, read how to research a company's visa sponsorship history before applying and then compare those names in the companies directory.
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 May-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.
- The current DETE 2026 file may revise prior month counts as new files are published; for example, April figures in the current file may differ slightly from earlier snapshots.
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, then open the relevant company profiles for entity-specific context.
- 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.