Small and medium enterprises in Ireland are significantly more likely to recruit staff from outside the European Union than similar-sized companies in other EU member states. A newly released Eurobarometer report commissioned by the European Commission revealed that 25% of Irish SMEs have actively attempted to hire non-EU workers to combat severe workforce shortages. This stands in stark contrast to the broader European average, where only 14% of small businesses have looked beyond continental borders for international talent.
According to the data, Ireland ranks as the joint second-highest country in the EU for non-EU recruitment efforts, sharing the spot with Germany. Only Malta outpaced Ireland, with an exceptional 48% of its small firms recruiting internationally. The study surveyed 12,900 companies with fewer than 250 employees across all 27 EU nations last December, including more than 500 active firms based within the Republic of Ireland, to pinpoint the precise barriers businesses encounter when sourcing external staff.
Severe Domestic Skills Gaps Drive the Trend
The driving force behind this international hiring push is an intensely competitive local labor market. The report highlights that more than half—53%—of Irish SMEs reported experiencing immense difficulty in finding staff with the right skills over the past two years, noticeably higher than the EU average of 43%. Within the Irish business community, 19% described the process of securing qualified personnel as having been “very difficult.”
Interestingly, the sectors driving non-EU recruitment in Ireland differ dramatically from continental patterns. Across the wider EU, companies primarily hire third-country nationals for manual and trades roles, with construction positions (like bricklayers, carpenters, and plasterers) leading at 17%, followed closely by food processing and preparation at 14%. In Ireland, however, the demand is heavily concentrated in high-skilled corporate and technical fields. Approximately 24% of Irish small businesses hired non-EU workers as mechanical and industrial engineers, while 20% sourced accountants and financial professionals, and 12% employed drivers and transport operators.
Navigating Bureaucracy and Integration Barriers
Despite their willingness to look globally for workers, Irish employers face steep uphill battles. The Eurobarometer poll found that 57% of Irish SMEs described the actual process of onboarding non-EU staff as difficult. Furthermore, 30% admitted they faced notable challenges when trying to smoothly integrate these new international employees into their workplace environments and company cultures.
Business owners cited the lack of professional field skills and systemic complications surrounding the formal recognition of foreign qualifications as the primary hurdles. Additionally, a massive gap in institutional support remains: less than a quarter—only 23%—of Irish small business owners stated that they were actually familiar with official public support services designed to help companies navigate international recruitment channels. When Irish firms chose not to hire from outside the EU, the top reasons given were having a sufficient pool of qualified candidates within Europe, or requiring niche local language skills for the vacant positions.
Strong Workplace Retention Offers Optimism
Once international workers are successfully hired, keeping them does not appear to be a major obstacle for Irish employers. Only 15% of Irish businesses reported facing difficulties retaining their non-EU staff, a figure that sits comfortably below the wider European average of 26%.
The data also indicates that modern Irish enterprises have evolved past traditional hiring methods. Small firms in Ireland are now far more likely than their European counterparts to rely directly on social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Instagram, to scout, contact, and secure their international workforce.
