Almost all public service employees are white Irish, research finds

Strict rules over who can apply for public service jobs means State jobs are often not open to migrants, some of whom have exactly the skill sets needed.

Research on equality in the Irish public service found 97% of people working in public jobs were white Irish and strict eligibility criteria made it far too difficult for migrants to apply for roles.

The discussion paper said the civil service “does not reflect the diversity in wider Irish society” and there are too many barriers to employment.