What are the highest paid jobs in Ireland in 2023?

Why work in Ireland?

Are you keen to explore your opportunities to work in Ireland? We can help you understand more about the job scene as well as the social and cultural advantages that you can get if you move to this amazing country as a skilled worker.

Here are some major reasons to migrate to Ireland as a professional:

A lot of hiring to various levels of employment

Ireland is a country that is home to over 1,000 multinational companies. These companies represent major industrial sectors including pharma, IT, social media, and technology. Lots of hiring happens in these companies where you can try to land a job at various levels of employment.

Some of the global companies that are hiring in Ireland are:

• Google
• Facebook
• HP
• LinkedIn
• GSK
• Pfizer

The only English-speaking country in the EU

This may come as a surprise to you. But if you are proficient in the English language, you can confidently attempt to migrate to Ireland. The minimum level of English proficiency expected is B2. But worry not! The exposure you get in Ireland’s workplaces will help you improve your knowledge of English as well as other European languages.

High pay

Ireland’s annual wage is among the highest in the whole of the EU. The average annual salary in Ireland is EUR44,202. If you are a multi-lingual person at the entry-level you can earn from EUR38,000 to EUR40,000. With experience, you can grow your wage demand up to EUR60,000.

The cherry on the cake is that many employers in Ireland have embraced the hybrid work culture which allows you to live in a place that is less costly than the city and work in peace too.

Vibrant lifestyle

The culture and lifestyle in Ireland are the beauty of choosing to migrate to this country. There's scenic outdoors, music and art, beautiful countryside, and many of the endearing natural landscape features that you will love to experience.

Irish people are friendly and welcoming. Enjoy social life with pubs, clubs, sports clubs, and more at your access. Ireland already has a considerable chunk of its population that comprises foreign-born people. That comes to around 17 percent.

Job vacancies in Ireland

In Q2 of 2022 itself, 205,000 jobs were created. Total employment in Ireland at present is 2,554,600. This is a figure that shows that the country has crossed its 2.5 million, the target set as part of the Economic Recovery Plan for 2024.

Ireland Employment projections in 2023

By the end of Q4 of 2022, the employment rate in Ireland is expected to reach 67 percent. In 2023, this rate is projected to be maintained at 67 percent. In 2024, the employment rate is expected to be close to 69 percent.

By the end of Q4 of 2022, the unemployment rate in Ireland is expected to be 5.10 percent. In 2023, this rate is projected to be 5.30 percent.

Top 10 Highest Paid Professions in Ireland

Here are the top 10 highest paid professions in Ireland.

Job role	Average annual salary (in Euros)
Healthcare
Physician	133,560
Dentist	84,500
General Practitioner	115,000
IT
Java Programmer	63,750
Software Architect	95,000
Solutions Architect	95,000
Technical Architect	90,000
Software Developer	60,000
Network Engineer	61,250
Sales & Marketing
Sales Director	80,000

How to start your career in Ireland?

The skill shortages in the Irish economy exist in many areas that include:

• Engineering - chemical engineers, biomedical engineers, energy engineers, and electrical engineers
• Business and finance - business intelligence analysts, accountants, risk and compliance professionals, and financial advisers
• Healthcare - nurses, doctors, opticians, pharmacists, health managers and directors, and radiologists
• IT - data analysts, app developers, IT support specialists, software developers, and programmers
• Natural and social science professionals - medical laboratory scientists and scientists in food manufacturing
• Hospitality – chefs

Before planning and applying for a work visa, you have to find a job in Ireland. In fact, it’s not mandatory to find a job before you migrate to Ireland. However, if you do proper research, search, and apply for employment while you are in your home country, it will hand you a great advantage.

In the competitive job market of Ireland, it’s possible for you to look for internship opportunities too.

In Ireland, the application, as well as the interview process, aren’t very difficult as that in the UK. The steps involved are searching for the right job and employers online. Then submit the CV that serves you best in format and content in Ireland.

Give a formal interview if selected, as scheduled. These could include telephonic/online interviews to face-to-face interviews.

Seasonal job opportunities are also available in Ireland. These could be related to tourism largely. An example is summer jobs.

In Ireland, your volunteering activities get great value when employers check your resume to consider you for a job role. If you get volunteering opportunities in Ireland after you reach Ireland, always be ready to take them up.

If you are looking for a very popular job in the education field, there’s teaching. There’s a huge demand for professional English teachers in Ireland. If you are willing to become such a teacher known as ELT (English Language Teacher) you need to have a Bachelor’s degree as well as a recognized ELT qualification. These qualifications include the:

• CELTA
• CELT
• Trinity ESOL
• NUI TEFL Certificate

Ireland doesn’t recognize online ELT as well as I-to-I ELT qualifications.

Now, coming to the visa part, non-EU nationals will have to procure a work visa to get employed in Ireland. The application for the visa must be lodged online at INIS (Irish Nationalization and Immigration Service).

When it comes to the types of work permits issued in Ireland, there are nine of them that you should know about and choose one from. These include a critical-skills permit and a general permit. Here are the types of permits:

Critical Skills Employment Permit

For applying for this visa, you must receive a job offer from an employer in Ireland. The job offered must be one of the following:

• It must pay a minimum annual salary of EUR 32,000. It must also be on the Critical Skills Occupation List.
• It must pay a minimum annual salary of EUR 64,000. The job mustn't be on the ineligible occupations list.

This permit aims to enable skilled foreign workers who are qualified and skilled in jobs of which there’s a shortage in Ireland. The employment contract has to be for at least two years.

General Employment Permit

If you are offered a job in Ireland that satisfies the following criteria, then you can apply for this visa:

• You must be paid an annual salary of at least EUR30,000.
• The job mustn’t be present in the list of occupations deemed ineligible.
• The business that offers the job must have more than half of its working staff originating from outside the EEA (also known as the 50:50 rule).

The company/enterprise offering the job must be already present and conducting trade in Ireland. It must also be registered with the Companies Register Office & Revenue.

Contract for Service Employment Permit

In case you are employed in a company that has entered a contractual relationship with a business/body in Ireland to conduct work in Ireland, your Irish employer can lodge an application for a contract for a Service Employment Permit. It’s necessary that you must have been at work for the contractor for a minimum period of 6 months.

The validity of the permit is of that term required to do the work for which the contract has been drawn. You can't live in Ireland for over 5 years on a contract for a Service Employment Permit. If the contract is for a period under 3 months, you have to lodge an application for the Atypical Working Scheme.

Here are some rules to be followed for this permit:

• Registration with the Revenue department is necessary for the contractor.
• The contractor/company must employ at least half of their workforce with EEA citizens.
• In most cases a Labour Market Needs Test is mandatory.
• The pay rate must be at least EUR40,000 per annum.

Internship Employment Permit

In case you are enrolled in a college outside of the EEA as a full-time student, you are allowed to apply for this type of work permit. The aim is to enable you to obtain work experience in Ireland.

Here are the rules applicable to this work permit:

• The pay rate must at least equal the national minimum wage.
• Work experience has to be one of the requirements of your course of study.
• This Ireland work permit has a maximum validity period of 12 months. When the validity of the work permit is over, you have to leave Ireland.
• Your internship has to be in a job listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List.

Sport and Cultural Employment Permit

You are eligible to lodge an application for this type of work permit for employment in the cultural and sports sectors in Ireland. You are required to possess the particular skills as well as relevant qualifications to be employed in a cultural or sporting business/organization.

Exchange Agreement Employment Permit

You are eligible to apply for this type of Ireland work permit in case you are arriving in Ireland via one of the programs mentioned below:

• AIESEC
• IAESTE
• The Fulbright Program
• The Bord Bia exchange agreement was drawn between students of UCC for food marketing and St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia
• Vulcanus in Europe Program (Ireland)

This type of permit has a maximum validity period of 12 months.

Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permits

You are eligible to apply for this type of permit in case you are employed by an MNC (multinational company). You will have been transferred to the Irish branch of the company. This permit is meant for:

• Key personnel possessing specialist knowledge; those who earn a minimum of EUR40,000 annually
• Senior managers who earn a minimum of EUR40,000 annually
• Trainees who earn a minimum of EUR30,000 annually

Key personnel and Senior managers must have been employed by the company for a minimum period of 6 months prior to the planned transfer. It’s required that the trainees have been at work for the company for a minimum period of one month.

Reactivation Employment Permit

You can lodge an application for this type of work permit in case you were employed in Ireland with an employment permit and you became undocumented for no fault of your own or you were abused by your employer.

You have to lodge an application to Immigration Services Delivery seeking permission to be in Ireland. In case they approve your application, you can do registration with immigration. You can lodge an application for the Reactivation Employment Permit. You are required to have a job offer that has to pay you at least the minimum wage. There isn’t any restriction on the job type you can lodge an application for.

Seasonal Employment Permit

This permit has only been announced to be launched anew by the Irish government. It’s included in the Employment Permits Bill. This bill has now been published and is awaiting its passing by the Irish parliament (Oireachtas) before it becomes law.

How can Y-Axis assist you to find the right profession in Ireland?

For the best overseas job search and visa services of world standards to live and work in Ireland, visit Y-Axis. Professionals wanting to work in Ireland can seek our valuable services namely:

• Expert assistance to apply for a work visa in Ireland.
• Career counseling with expert advice.
• Immigration consultancy to show you the right path to immigrate risk-free and hassle-free.
• Expert coaching services for language proficiency tests like IELTS, CELPIP, and PTE when you need it most.

If you are looking for expert immigration advice and overseas job assistance, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.

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