A confidential government paper warned that Ireland needed migration to sustain its workforce and public services even as calls for a crackdown on immigration grew. It said across Europe there had been “a change in the public discourse on migration” and that governments were struggling to deal with that. However, it said Ireland’s current system for immigration was fragmented with employment permits, student visas, asylum applicants, family reunification, and undocumented individuals. The question arises whether these distinctive migration categories amount to a coherent whole or whether they produce, in overall terms, a less-than-optimal outcome. Figures cited in the research said that there were 2.2m Irish people employed, around 80% of the total workforce.

Source: Irish Examiner February 12, 2026 16:35 UTC