A study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has raised concerns about the low number of work permit inspectors.
Employment inspections are led by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), in cooperation with other authorities including Revenue, Department of Social Protection and An Garda Síochána, to check compliance with employment law.
In 2023, 4,727 employment inspection cases were undertaken and 293 breaches of employment permits legislation were detected.
"However, the number of employment inspectors raises concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. In January 2024, 63 WRC inspectors were operating nationally," the report found.
"Revenue data indicate that there were 191,600 employers in the State in 2023, which gives an overall inspection rate of 2.5%," according to the study.
The report notes that the number of WRC inspectors is planned to increase to 80 during 2024.
The research was published by the European Migration Network Ireland (EMN Ireland) located within the ESRI and the Department of Justice.
It found that while reliable data on the extent of irregular employment of non-EU nationals is limited, it occurs across a range of sectors in Ireland, particularly in food service activity, and mainly within small enterprises.
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"The food service activity sector accounted for 54% of employment permit law breaches in 2023 with 12% in hair and beauty, and 11% in wholesale," the report found.
It also concludes that recent changes, such as allowing certain categories of permit holders to change employers, has helped to prevent the irregular employment of migrant workers.
According to the ESRI, for non-EU nationals, working in an irregular situation can create precarity, for example, difficulties accessing social security.
"Undocumented workers may be reluctant to report poor working conditions due to a fear of losing their job or being deported," the report found.
