Numbers of People Moving to Ireland

The latest figures on people moving to Ireland show that about 52700 people moved to Ireland from overseas in 2012. These numbers are about one third of the numbers that moved here in 2007 .

Nationalities of people moving to Ireland in 2012
People with Irish nationality made up the biggest percentage of "immigrants" - with 20600 returning in 2012.
People moving to Ireland from the UK  totalled 2200.
There were 7200 people from the  the EU original countries  ( Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Portugal )

10400 people from the rest of the EU  moved here in 2012 ( Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania)

People moving to Ireland from other countries in the world such as the US , China , Africa -  totalled  12400 in 2012.

Overall the population of Ireland is still increasing - although there are still thousands of people leaving Ireland too.
Many of the immigrants move to Ireland because of jobs. With many of the big online companies based in Ireland - there is big demand for IT skills and language skills . Google, Facebook, Ebay and Amazon are just some of the companies that have offices in Dublin where they employ thousands of people.

A recent article on the top reasons for moving to Ireland reported that work was the main reason for Moving to Ireland.

EU citizens are free to live and work in Ireland without visas or work permits.  People from outside the EU will need a green card (work permit) to enable them to move to Ireland and work here.
Most jobs with salaries over €60,000 are eligible for green cards.
There is a shortage of some skills in Ireland - so workers with these skills will qualify for green cards even if the salary is under €60,000

These are the areas of skill shortages in Ireland
ICT : Computer systems managers; Computer analysts; Computer programmers; Database administrators/architects; Business process specialists; Messaging and communications specialists; IT architects; IT security specialists; IT project managers;  Data analysts; Web developers ; IT network specialists;; Software engineers and software developers (all languages including JAVA); Application and computer testers; Application developers; Computer gaming developers and designers; Cloud computing specialists; IT legal specialists including IT contract specialists; Localisation specialists; IT intellectual property specialists; IT-enabled education specialists; IT foreign markets specialists and UI/UX engineers.

Health  Registered nurses, Medical practitioners,  Pharmacists/Pharmacologists , Dentists, Clinical nursing managers and advanced nursing practitioners , Dieticians, Orthoptists, Medical scientists, ECG technicians, Neurophysiological measurement technicians, Cardiac catheterisation technicians, Vascular technicians, Respiratory technicians, GI function technicians, Audiologists, Biochemists, Medical radiographers

Professional engineers and technologists : Electrical engineers; Chemical and formulation engineers/analysts (including with active pharmaceutical ingredients background); Design and development; Network, Validation, Product development; Planning; Process and quality control; Regulation engineers; Industrial hygiene engineers; Telecommunications validation engineers; Manufacturing instrumentation and control technicians; Electronics engineering/Applied physicists. All sectors Researchers and natural scientists Researchers, Chemists, Natural scientists, Biological and Microbiologists, Physicists and Material scientists and Bio-pharmaceutical R & D project managers

Business and financial professionals -
Chartered and certified accountants, Actuaries, Management consultants, Business analysts, Compliance specialists, Risk analysts/specialists, Tax experts, Legal experts


These are the jobs that are not eligible for a green card - regardless of wages.

All Clerical and Administrative Jobs
All General Operatives/Labourers ; All Operator and Production Staff ; All Domestic Workers (including Carers in the Home and Childminders)* All Work Riders (Horse Racing);

All retail sales vacancies,  ; All drivers including HGV
Nursery / Crèche Workers, Child Minder/ Nanny
All Hotel and Catering jobs (except chefs.)
Bricklayers, Cabinet Makers, Carpenters/ Joiners, Carton Makesr, Fitters - Construction Plant, Electrician, Instrumentation Craftsperson, Fitter, Tiler - Floor / Wall, Mechanic - Heavy Vehicles, Instrumentation Craftsperson, Metal Fabricator, Painter And Decorator, Plumber, Printer, Engineer - Refrigeration, Sheet Metal Worker, Tool Maker, Vehicle Body Repairer, Plasterers and Welders .