Ireland is on the hunt for South Africans with these skills – paying up to R1.5 million

Ireland is facing labour shortages in several critical sectors in 2024, including ICT, healthcare, engineering, and IT, and it’s paying up to R1.5 million to attract the right professionals to fill the gap.
These shortages are driven by a growing economy, nearing full employment, and a high demand for skilled workers to support the country’s digital transformation, healthcare expansion, and infrastructure projects.
In 2024, Ireland faces a widening skills gap, particularly in the ICT, health, and engineering sectors. With an unemployment rate at a low 4.9%, the Irish government is actively seeking to attract professionals from abroad, including South Africa, to fill critical roles in these industries.
The Irish government has emphasised the need for professionals in technology-related fields, particularly as businesses adopt automation technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA).
IT professionals, such as software developers, system architects, and cybersecurity experts, are in high demand.
The Irish Critical Skills Employment Permit lists these ICT roles as priority positions for recruitment from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) due to domestic shortages.
This includes South African professionals who have increasingly been targeted for these roles.
In the health sector, Ireland is experiencing a significant shortage of medical staff, including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and radiographers.
The demand for healthcare professionals is exacerbated by a growing and ageing population, alongside healthcare infrastructure challenges.
South African health professionals, known for their strong medical training, are seen as an attractive talent pool to address these shortages.
Ireland’s Critical Skills list also reflects this, with occupations such as medical practitioners, psychologists, and various therapists being highly sought after.
Engineering, another key sector, is struggling to meet demand in areas like civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.
The ongoing housing and infrastructure development across the country has amplified the need for skilled engineers.
Ireland is not producing enough STEM graduates to keep up with this demand, with only 25 graduates for every 100 across the European Union, lower than the EU average of 29.
As a result, Ireland relies heavily on foreign expertise in these areas
According to Ireland’s latest Census of Population report, almost 16,000 South Africans are estimated to be living in Ireland, although exact figures vary.
According to digital outsourcing and consulting firm Strider Digital, South Africans are outsourced due to their high standard of education and experience, work ethic, diversity, culture, and time zone.
“South Africa is home to a highly educated and skilled workforce, with many individuals holding degrees in IT, software development, business and marketing,” said business development consultant at Strider Digital Bjorn Annegarn.
“Our country has been favoured as a fast-developing outsourcing industry for a few years now.
As Ireland continues to grow economically, its reliance on international talent, particularly from countries like South Africa, will remain essential to bridging the gap in critical sectors.
Some of the top-paid in-demand jobs include Cybersecurity specialists, software engineers, and doctors.
The jobs range from R890,000 to R1.45 million per annum or R74,200 to R120,900 per month.
The table below lists twelve jobs listed on the Irelands’ critical skills list and what they pay per annum.
Job | Average annual salary |
---|---|
Accountants | €57,415 (R1.10 million) |
Occupational Therapist | €49,404 (R950,500) |
General doctors | €74,616 (R1.44 million) |
Nurses | €46,295 (R891,000) |
IT project and programme managers | €67,057 (R1.29 million) |
Public Health Managers | €65,000 (R1.25 million) |
Civil Engineers | €53,703 (R1.03 million) |
Electrical Engineers | €60,000 (R1.15 million) |
Mechanical Engineers | €55,000 (R1.06 million) |
Software Engineers | €70,000 (R1.35 million) |
Data Scientists | €59,500 (R1.15 million) |
Software Developer | €64,000 (R1.23 million) |
Cybersecurity | €75,000 (R1.44 million) |
ICT Professional | €63,134 (R1.21 million) |
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