The proposed salary increases for work permit holders which were due to come into effect in January 2025 have been deferred, a spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) has said.

A roadmap for increasing the minimum salary thresholds was announced in December last year, including a proposed rise from €30,000 to €32,000 in January 2025 for workers in meat processing and horticulture.

A DETE spokesperson told Agriland that “considering concerns raised by some stakeholders relating to increased costs of doing business,” the DETE is currently reviewing the proposed roadmap.

“The proposed January 2025 increases to minimum salary thresholds will be deferred, pending the outcome of this review,” according to a DETE spokesperson.

The first increase on the roadmap came into effect in January 2024 for most occupations, including an increase in the minimum salary for work permit holders in meat processing and horticulture from €22,916 to €30,000.

Work permit holders

The DETE spokesperson said that before the increases in January 2024, minimum salary thresholds for most employment permits had not changed in a decade and had not kept pace with inflation or economic growth.

“Lower minimum salary thresholds had also made it impossible for some migrant workers to qualify for the Department of Justice family reunification scheme,” according to the DETE spokesperson.

The previously deferred increase to €30,000 for health care assistants, home carers and care workers will proceed as planned in January 2025, following earlier announcements and communication with stakeholders, the spokesperson said.