The number of work permits issued to people from outside the EU has halved since last year, figures obtained from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment show.
The number of applications for work permits for people from outside the EU has also fallen.
The Department is no longer entertaining applications for permits for workers from outside the EU, except in particular industries, such as nursing and ethnic catering.
While 12,186 new work permits were issued from January 1st to July 31st, 2003, just 6,254 were issued in the same period this year. The number of applications from employers for permits has also fallen from 30,508 to 22,669.
The fall in the number of permits sought and granted is almost certainly due to the changes since May 1st, where workers from the 10 accession states no longer need work permits.
The number of permits renewed, however, has increased from 9,616 in the first seven months of 2003 to 10,879 up to July 31st this year.
A source within the Department speculated this may due to the fact that employers know they will not be able to replace a non-EU worker with another non-EU worker, particularly in low-paid, low-skilled positions.
"So they are more likely, perhaps, to keep them on," she said. Workers from outside the EU already here on May 1st will "in general" have their permits renewed.
Another source confirmed that since November last any application from an employer for a permit for someone outside the EU, was "not even going into the system".
