Top 7 Jobs With the Most Vacancies in Ireland 2026
Healthcare, hospitality, and logistics are hiring the most workers in Ireland in 2026. According to CSO Labour Force Survey data (Q1 2026), Ireland has 2.79 million people in employment with an unemployment rate of 4.9% — meaning employers in high-turnover sectors are competing for staff. If you are a Brazilian, EU, or international worker looking for your first role in Ireland, these seven jobs offer the most available positions right now, the lowest barriers to entry, and realistic salaries starting from the new national minimum wage of €14.15 per hour. This guide covers each role with real salary data, what employers look for, and how to get your CV right for each one.
1. Healthcare assistant — Ireland's biggest shortage
Healthcare assistant (HCA) is the single most in-demand entry-level role in Ireland in 2026. The HSE employs over 14% of its workforce as HCAs, and private nursing homes across the country are permanently recruiting. According to Excel Recruitment's 2026 Salary Guide, healthcare assistants now earn between €33,000 and €36,000 per year.
- Salary range: €33,000–€36,000/year (€16–€17.50/hr with shift premiums)
- Key employers: HSE, Mowlam Healthcare, Comfort Keepers, Bluebird Care, TLC Nursing Homes
- Requirements: QQI Level 5 in Healthcare Support (or equivalent), manual handling cert, Garda vetting
- Work permit note: Healthcare assistant is on Ireland's Employment Permits eligible list
If you have care experience from Brazil, Portugal, or elsewhere, frame it using Irish terminology. Irish employers say "healthcare assistant" — not "auxiliary nurse" or "care aide". See CV template →
2. Kitchen porter — hospitality's backbone role
Kitchen porters are the most recruited role in Ireland's hospitality sector in 2026. With the government reducing the hospitality VAT rate from 13.5% to 9% effective July 2026 (Budget 2026), restaurants and hotels are expanding operations and hiring at pace.
- Salary range: €14.15–€17/hr (€28,000–€34,000/year full-time with overtime)
- Key employers: Dalata Group, Doyle Collection, SuperValu delis, hospital kitchens
- Requirements: no formal qualifications needed. HACCP food safety cert is an advantage
- Advantage: many kitchens offer meals during shifts and flexible scheduling
Your CV needs to emphasise reliability and physical capability. Mention shift availability explicitly — this is what hiring managers filter for first. See CV template →
3. Warehouse operative — logistics keeps growing
Ireland's warehouse and logistics sector employs over 90,000 people and continues to grow as e-commerce expands. Warehouse operatives are in constant demand at distribution centres for Tesco Ireland, Lidl, Amazon (Baldonnel), DHL, and XPO Logistics. The role pays €14.15–€17 per hour at entry level, with night shifts attracting premiums of 20–30%.
- Salary range: €14.15–€17/hr days; €17–€21/hr nights (€30,000–€40,000/year with overtime)
- Key employers: Tesco Ireland distribution, Lidl Newbridge, Amazon Baldonnel, DHL Dublin, XPO Logistics
- Requirements: manual handling cert (€50–€60, half-day course), basic English, steel-toe boots
- Advantage: forklift licence (counterbalance or reach) increases pay by €1–€3/hr immediately
Irish warehouse employers use specific vocabulary: "picking", "packing", "goods-in", "despatch". Use these terms on your CV — ATS systems at logistics firms filter for them. See CV template →
4. Care worker — home support demand exploding
Home care is the fastest-growing sub-sector in Irish healthcare. Ireland's ageing population (the over-65 cohort grew 3.8% year-on-year according to CSO 2026 estimates) means demand for home support workers far exceeds supply.
- Salary range: €14.50–€17/hr (plus mileage allowance of €0.30–€0.45/km)
- Key employers: HSE Home Support, Bluebird Care, Home Instead, Comfort Keepers, CAREChoice
- Requirements: QQI Level 5 Healthcare Support (or willingness to complete), full driving licence often essential for rural areas, Garda vetting
- Work permit note: care worker roles are eligible for General Employment Permits
Employers value empathy, reliability, and a clean driving licence above all else for home care. If you have any caring experience — even informal family caring — mention it on your CV. See CV template →
5. Cleaner — steady demand across every sector
Commercial and residential cleaning is one of Ireland's most consistently available job categories. The average cleaner earns €14.22 per hour (Indeed Ireland, 2026), with specialist roles (hospital cleaning, post-construction) reaching €16–€18.
- Salary range: €14.15–€18/hr depending on setting (hospital/industrial pays more)
- Key employers: ISS Ireland, Bidvest Noonan, KSG, Mitie, hotel chains (Dalata, Doyle)
- Requirements: no formal qualifications. Reliability and attention to detail.
- Advantage: early morning/late evening hours suit people studying English or attending ETB courses
For cleaning roles, your CV should highlight reliability, physical fitness, and any experience with specific environments (hospital, office, industrial). See CV template →
6. Delivery driver — gig and employed roles booming
Delivery driving in Ireland splits into two markets: gig-economy platforms (Deliveroo, Just Eat, DoorDash) and employed driver roles (DPD Ireland, An Post, Fastway/Aramex). Employed roles pay €14.15–€16/hr with fixed contracts, holiday pay, and employer PRSI.
- Salary range: €14.15–€16/hr employed; €30,000–€38,000/year full-time with overtime
- Key employers: DPD Ireland, An Post, Fastway/Aramex, Amazon Logistics, Tesco home delivery
- Requirements: full clean Irish or EU driving licence (Category B minimum), good English
- PPS number: required from day one for employment. Apply at your local Intreo centre
Delivery driver CVs should emphasise a clean driving record, time management, and customer service skills. See CV template →
7. Sales assistant — retail's permanent need
Ireland's retail sector employs over 300,000 people, and sales assistant remains the most frequently advertised retail role. Penneys (Primark), Dunnes Stores, Tesco Ireland, SuperValu, and Aldi hire year-round. Penneys starts at €14.50, Aldi at €15.75 for new starters.
- Salary range: €14.15–€15.75/hr entry level; supervisors €16–€18/hr
- Key employers: Penneys/Primark, Dunnes Stores, Tesco Ireland, SuperValu, Aldi, Lidl, TK Maxx
- Requirements: basic English, flexibility for weekends/evenings, customer service attitude
- Advantage: multilingual staff are valued — Portuguese, Spanish, Polish speakers often get more hours
For retail CVs, Irish employers want to see customer service examples and flexibility. Use "sales assistant" — not "shop worker" or "vendedor". See CV template →
How to get your CV right for these roles
Every job on this list uses ATS software to filter applications before a human reads them. If your CV uses the wrong format, wrong terminology, or wrong structure, it gets rejected silently — no matter how qualified you are.
MeuCV builds CVs specifically for these Irish roles. You fill in your details, and the AI rewrites your experience using the vocabulary Irish recruiters actually search for — "warehouse operative" instead of "almoxarife", "healthcare assistant" instead of "auxiliar de enfermagem". The output is a clean, single-column PDF that passes Workday, Greenhouse, and iCIMS.
It takes 5 minutes. Costs €5.99 — less than a flat white. No account needed, your data is deleted within 24 hours.
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