Irish-based multinationals have just two weeks to prepare for the sharpest increase in work-permit salary thresholds since 2020. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) confirmed last December that the Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) rates attached to every Irish employment-permit route will go up on 1 March 2026. A Fragomen alert published on 16 February breaks down the figures: General Employment Permits will jump from €34,000 to €36,605, the standard Critical Skills Employment Permit will rise from €38,000 to €40,904 and Intra-Company Transfer permits will climb above the €49,500 mark.
While headline percentages hover around 7-8 per cent, the increases are front-loaded for graduate and early-career talent. The Government has kept a discounted rate for recent Irish graduates, but employers hiring in bulk through graduate programmes will still have to budget carefully or risk applicants falling short of the new floor. DETE data show that more than 60 per cent of current permit-holders obtained or renewed their permission in 2024, meaning thousands of renewals will fall due after the new thresholds take effect.
![Ireland raises minimum salary thresholds for all employment permit categories from 1 March 2026]()
The changes dovetail with the Government’s 2025 Employment Permits Roadmap, which aims to make Ireland more attractive for highly-skilled workers while discouraging under-paid roles from being outsourced to non-EEA staff. Construction, healthcare, horticulture and hospitality employers—sectors that already face labour shortages—are expected to feel the pinch most acutely. Businesses must file renewal applications by 28 February if they want current salaries to be grandfathered; after that date the higher thresholds apply automatically.
For mobility teams the immediate to-do list is threefold: audit exposures across all permit categories; adjust offer letters and HRIS data to reflect the new minima; and re-forecast 2026 mobility budgets to include higher payroll and social-insurance costs. As Ireland courts 300,000 new jobs by 2030, further uplifts are sign-posted, making proactive salary planning an essential part of workforce strategy.
While headline percentages hover around 7-8 per cent, the increases are front-loaded for graduate and early-career talent. The Government has kept a discounted rate for recent Irish graduates, but employers hiring in bulk through graduate programmes will still have to budget carefully or risk applicants falling short of the new floor. DETE data show that more than 60 per cent of current permit-holders obtained or renewed their permission in 2024, meaning thousands of renewals will fall due after the new thresholds take effect.
The changes dovetail with the Government’s 2025 Employment Permits Roadmap, which aims to make Ireland more attractive for highly-skilled workers while discouraging under-paid roles from being outsourced to non-EEA staff. Construction, healthcare, horticulture and hospitality employers—sectors that already face labour shortages—are expected to feel the pinch most acutely. Businesses must file renewal applications by 28 February if they want current salaries to be grandfathered; after that date the higher thresholds apply automatically.
For mobility teams the immediate to-do list is threefold: audit exposures across all permit categories; adjust offer letters and HRIS data to reflect the new minima; and re-forecast 2026 mobility budgets to include higher payroll and social-insurance costs. As Ireland courts 300,000 new jobs by 2030, further uplifts are sign-posted, making proactive salary planning an essential part of workforce strategy.
Source: Fragomen
