Enterprise Minister Peter Burke will tomorrow present a memo seeking a six-month suspension of the so-called 50:50 rule for home-care providers in County Clare. Under existing regulations, at least half of a company’s workforce must be Irish, EEA, Swiss or UK nationals before an employment permit can be issued to a third-country caregiver. Providers argue the cap is crippling services as demand for home help soars among Ireland’s ageing population. Speaking to Clare FM, Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney said dropping the ratio temporarily could unlock dozens of immediate hires and create extra capacity ahead of the winter surge. Industry bodies estimate a shortfall of 5,000 carers nationwide; Clare alone needs 200 additional staff to meet HSE targets for home-help hours. The pilot will be closely watched by multinationals running in-house elder-care schemes for assignees’ dependants, as well as by relocation companies whose clients struggle to secure private carers. If successful, officials hint the waiver could be extended to other counties or sectors facing acute labour shortages such as hospitality and logistics. Employers should note that standard labour-market tests and minimum-salary thresholds (€27,000 for Health Care Assistants) will still apply. However, the easing of the 50:50 ratio significantly lowers the administrative hurdle for small providers who previously fell foul of the quota after only a handful of non-EEA hires. Stakeholders have welcomed the proposal but caution that processing times must also improve or the benefit will be muted. The Department’s latest statistics show general permit applications are currently taking eight weeks – timelines that carers’ families can ill afford.
Source: Clare FM
