Small and medium-sized enterprises in Ireland are significantly more likely to recruit workers from outside the EU than their counterparts in other member states, according to a new report.
However, the European Commission-commissioned survey also found that 57% of Irish SMEs considered the process of hiring non-EU staff difficult, while 30% said integrating such employees into their business presented challenges, reports Breaking News.
The Eurobarometer poll found that 25% of Irish SMEs had attempted to hire non-EU workers to address skills shortages, compared to an EU average of 14%.
Ireland’s rate was the joint second-highest alongside Germany, behind only Malta at 48%, reports Breaking News.
The report drew on a survey of 12,900 SMEs — defined as companies with fewer than 250 employees — across all 27 EU member states conducted last December, and was designed to assess the barriers they face when recruiting workers from outside the EU.
More than 500 firms in the Republic were included in the survey, reports Breaking News.
“Finding and recruiting skilled staff for SMEs continues to be a persistent challenge across the EU,” the report stated.
Despite variations between countries, it noted that recruiting non-EU nationals had not yet become mainstream practice across the EU, with the exception of Malta, reports Breaking News.
It said the lower rates of international recruitment seen in central and eastern European countries and Nordic states may reflect less strained labour markets, lower perceived attractiveness for non-EU workers, or more restrictive migration policies.
The report added: “The fact that non-EU recruitment remains a limited practice in most countries including those facing acute recruitment tensions suggests the existence of structural barriers that transcend national contexts,” reports Breaking News.
The primary reason cited by Irish SMEs for not hiring non-EU staff was the availability of sufficiently qualified candidates within the EU, followed by roles requiring specific language skills.
At the same time, more than half (53%) reported difficulty in recruiting staff with the right skills over the previous two years, compared to the EU average of 43%, reports Breaking News.
Among Irish firms, 19% said it had been “very difficult” to hire suitably qualified staff.
Fewer than a quarter (23%) said they were familiar with support services available to help them recruit non-EU nationals from outside the bloc, reports Breaking News.
The report showed that 52% of Irish SMEs said they received support with administrative processes such as work and residence permits, while 44% received financial assistance in the form of grants, subsidies or tax incentives.
Retention of non-EU staff did not emerge as a significant concern, with just 15% saying it was difficult to retain such employees — below the EU average of 26%, reports Breaking News.
Irish SMEs identified the main difficulties as a lack of professional skills to carry out the role and challenges around the recognition of qualifications.
The report also found that Irish SMEs are far more likely than their European peers to use social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Instagram for recruitment, with 59% doing so compared to an EU average of 28%, reports Breaking News.
Construction was the most common sector to hire non-EU staff across the EU, with 17% of SMEs having sourced skilled workers such as bricklayers, carpenters and plasterers, followed by 14% who employed food preparation and processing workers such as cooks and butchers.
Cleaning and support services accounted for 12% and drivers and transport operators for 10%, reports Breaking News.
The report noted that the sectors most actively recruiting non-EU workers shared a “manual nature.”
The pattern in Ireland differed somewhat, with 24% of SMEs having hired non-EU nationals as mechanical and industrial engineers, followed by accountants and financial professionals (20%) and drivers and transport operators (12%), reports Breaking News.
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