Foreign Nationals Fill 61% of New Irish Jobs Post-COVID, Total Employment Nears 2.8 Million

Foreign nationals filled 61% of new jobs created in Ireland between 2019 and 2024, accounting for 218,000 of the 357,000 total job growth. This surge increased the proportion of foreign employees from under 22% before the pandemic to 27.5% by the end of 2024. Total employment in the economy is now close to 2.8 million, with 2.54 million PAYE employees at the end of 2024.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) reports significant increases in employees from India (from 23,223 in 2019 to 79,632 in 2024), Ukraine (from 2,162 to 26,419), and Brazil (from 28,410 to 49,233). These workers are crucial for sectors like administrative and support services (45.6% foreign nationals), accommodation and food services (45.1%), and information and communications (41.4%). Indians are notably employed in health and social work (nearly a third), while Brazilians often work in accommodation and admin.

While the jobs market has cooled recently, with a slight fall in workers between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, long-term projections by the CSO and Department of Finance anticipate continued net migration due to Ireland's aging population. Net migration peaked at 79,300 in the year to April 2024, with future forecasts assuming around 45,000 annually, though the exact scale remains uncertain.