Immigrants have played a significant role in the economy and are still vital, in spite of the economic crisis, an Irish report show. Immigration was vital for the Irish economy in its booming period, when the unemployment rate dropped below 4%. Still, after the economic collapse in 2008, there were some who asserted that immigration was no longer profitable.

The „Migration and Irish economy” report, written for the Integration Centre (a non-profit Irish organization whose activity is dedicated to immigrant integration) by Jim Power, overturns this perception and asserts that, in order for Ireland to prosper, immigrants are still needed.

Killian Forde from the Integration Centre thinks that „without a liberal visa system, no multinational company will settle in Ireland”. The opinion according to which immigrants were good for the economy in its booming period (2004-2008) but now they are a burden, is completely wrong. Immigrants are still vital to the economy.

In Ireland, demand for professionals keeps growing

Foreign workers activate in Ireland at all economic levels. Most of them work for a modest pay, in the providing services field or in the administrative body. In certain sectors they represent a third of the workforce. Professionals are in needs especially in the linguistic and IT sectors, and the immigrants are a solution for the improvement of this economic sectors. Most of them come from Poland, Great Britain, both countries EU members. Because Ireland is part of the EU, the labor force from the communitarian economic space has the right to come work in Ireland. 11% of Ireland immigrants come from Africa and Asia. Starting with 2007, there have been restrictions imposed on non-euro areas.

Ireland, like Great Britain, continues to receive overqualified immigrants from outside the EU. As consequence, most Ireland immigrants who come from other non-EU countries, have a college degree, a feature less common for those who come from EU member states. The report also shows the employee entrepreneurial level is lower than that of immigrants from Great Britain or the United States, countries in which they are more inclined to start a business rather than the active population. They also highlight the fact that there is no solid proof to sustain the assertion that immigrants re-qualify. „The population with non-Irish roots has a high level of professional qualifications which surpasses that of foreigners from other EU member states. The vast majority has professional or commercial qualifications. The variety of linguistic abilities they possess is vital for the Irish economy. In short, immigrants were and will be a key element for the Irish economy”.

Advice to encourage immigration

The report highlights the positive effect immigration has on the Irish economy and makes a series of recommendations to encourage immigration:

• improving the working permits system to facilitate personnel recruitment from non-EU countries;
• simplifying the accreditation procedure of professional qualifications obtained in other countries;
• increasing efforts to attract foreign investors;
• specifying in the law that immigrants reunite with their families;
• implementing harsher antiracist measures at the workplace;
• increase the involvement of the police in dealing with racism;
• maintaining taxes at a low level to keep immigrant workers in the country.

Source: http://www.workpermit.com/news/2012-11-01/irish-report-says-immigration-vital-to-economic-success