“Businesses across the country are facing severe challenges in recruiting qualified employees. This is having an enormous impact on their ability to grow and increase trade,” said Chambers Ireland’s chief executive Ian Talbot.
“Across our economy we see that our infrastructure and services are struggling to meet demand. To build the extra capacity we need we have to make Ireland an easier place to come to work. We are no longer as attractive a place to migrate to as we used to be, and we must make sure that bureaucratic processes are not putting up extra barriers to attracting talent.
The organisation has called on the Government to simplify the process for work permits and visas, recommending a single-application process for both and broader permits that would reduce the number of classes needed. “Chambers Ireland greatly welcomes the increased resources that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have allocated to permits, but this needs to be co-ordinated with quicker, more flexible visa processing within the Department of Justice,” he said.