Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) has released its long-awaited Roadmap for Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR), confirming that every category of employment permit will be subject to staged salary increases between 2026 and 2030. Under the plan, the General Employment Permit (GEP) minimum will rise from €34,000 to €36,605 and the Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) floor will climb from €38,000 to €40,904 on 1 March 2026. Lower-paid exemptions for agri-food and healthcare roles will also begin to close, with their thresholds moving to €32,691 next year.
The roadmap replaces the steeper two-year MAR escalation announced in 2023, which had been paused after strong push-back from employers worried about wage inflation and talent shortages. Officials say the new, slower trajectory balances competitiveness with the need to keep work-permit salaries in line with domestic earnings; indexation to Central Statistics Office (CSO) wage data will now be built into the system.
For multinationals, the headline message is budgeting certainty. HR teams can forecast labour costs over a four-year horizon and adjust global mobility policies—particularly assignment allowances and local-plus packages—before the first adjustment hits. The government’s decision to maintain discounted thresholds for recent graduates (Level 8+) will also preserve a cost-effective pipeline for entry-level talent. However, sectors that use large numbers of GEP holders, such as hospitality and logistics, will still see wage bills rise by nearly 8 % next spring.
![Ireland sets phased salary-threshold hikes for all work-permit categories, first rise due 1 March 2026]()
For employers and foreign nationals seeking practical guidance on securing or renewing Irish work permits under the new salary bands, VisaHQ provides a streamlined, digital application service. Through its dedicated Ireland page (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), users can verify eligibility, assemble the correct supporting documents, and monitor status updates in real time—freeing HR teams to focus on budgeting and talent strategy while reducing compliance risks.
Companies that already pay above the new minima are not entirely off the hook: the roadmap confirms that, at renewal, permit holders’ salaries must keep pace with average earnings growth. DETE modelling suggests annual indexation of about 5 %—something mobility managers will need to factor into long-term cost projections. Employers should therefore review all contracts that reference “minimum permit salary” clauses to avoid accidental non-compliance.
Practical next steps include mapping current permit-holder remuneration against the March 2026 figures, engaging with payroll providers to automate index-linked rises, and updating offer letters for recruits whose start dates fall after the change. Organisations using quota-restricted permits (e.g., meat-processing operatives) should note that sub-standard rates will be phased out entirely by 2030 and start planning for full alignment now.
The roadmap replaces the steeper two-year MAR escalation announced in 2023, which had been paused after strong push-back from employers worried about wage inflation and talent shortages. Officials say the new, slower trajectory balances competitiveness with the need to keep work-permit salaries in line with domestic earnings; indexation to Central Statistics Office (CSO) wage data will now be built into the system.
For multinationals, the headline message is budgeting certainty. HR teams can forecast labour costs over a four-year horizon and adjust global mobility policies—particularly assignment allowances and local-plus packages—before the first adjustment hits. The government’s decision to maintain discounted thresholds for recent graduates (Level 8+) will also preserve a cost-effective pipeline for entry-level talent. However, sectors that use large numbers of GEP holders, such as hospitality and logistics, will still see wage bills rise by nearly 8 % next spring.
For employers and foreign nationals seeking practical guidance on securing or renewing Irish work permits under the new salary bands, VisaHQ provides a streamlined, digital application service. Through its dedicated Ireland page (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), users can verify eligibility, assemble the correct supporting documents, and monitor status updates in real time—freeing HR teams to focus on budgeting and talent strategy while reducing compliance risks.
Companies that already pay above the new minima are not entirely off the hook: the roadmap confirms that, at renewal, permit holders’ salaries must keep pace with average earnings growth. DETE modelling suggests annual indexation of about 5 %—something mobility managers will need to factor into long-term cost projections. Employers should therefore review all contracts that reference “minimum permit salary” clauses to avoid accidental non-compliance.
Practical next steps include mapping current permit-holder remuneration against the March 2026 figures, engaging with payroll providers to automate index-linked rises, and updating offer letters for recruits whose start dates fall after the change. Organisations using quota-restricted permits (e.g., meat-processing operatives) should note that sub-standard rates will be phased out entirely by 2030 and start planning for full alignment now.
