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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > New poll shows 40 per cent of Irish emigrants do not want to leave home -- Hard times force tens of thousands to depart Ireland’s shores unwillingly

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

New poll shows 40 per cent of Irish emigrants do not want to leave home -- Hard times force tens of thousands to depart Ireland’s shores unwillingly

Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 08:13 AM

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(Photo by David Monahan)

If you ever wanted to see how results of a survey can be fashioned in such a way as to reinforce the answers the survey organizers sought, the latest Irish Times poll on emigrants fits the bill.

The paper trumpeted its findings that the majority of those emigrating were doing so voluntarily. They noted that 59 per cent said they were voluntary emigrants while 41 per cent were involuntary.

That fact that four out of ten people leaving were forced out of the country is the statistic that leaps off the page to me.

Not for the Irish Times analysts however.

They even quote approvingly, the Minister of Finance Michael Noonan's recent statement that emigration is a lifestyle choice for many.

Of course it is but for many more, such as the four in ten who are forced to leave, it is decidedly not.

The blunt fact is that any country where four in ten of its emigrants say they have been forced to leave because of economic hardship is a complete mess

With massive unemployment , huge government debt and ceding sovereignty to European overlords, Ireland fits the bill.

The recent image of thousands lining up for job fairs for Australia and New Zealand increased the sense of a sadly hollowed-out country.

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Many of the Irish in power of course do not want to acknowledge that.

The Irish Times analyst is also charmed that 72 per cent wish to come back,

Isn't that splendid altogether, that the unfortunate savages who leave still love their native shore?

Here's the money statistic.

"A total of 93 per cent who had jobs before they left Ireland are now employed in their new destinations. Asked if their new job was better than the one they had left behind, 75 per cent said better, 10 per cent said not as good and 14 per cent about the same."

In other words, Irish jobs are often the bottom of the barrel type jobs and moving abroad becomes a no-brainer even if you are employed.
That points to a massive political failure.

It is clearly an inconvenient truth for the Times that so many , four in ten, leave involuntarily. Instead they focus on the utterly misleading statistic that six in ten leave happily.

Either way you look at it it is a stunning indictment of failed economic policies that so many leave for whatever reason, like they did in the 20s, 50s 80s and now again.

But don't tell the Irish ruling class that.

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ciaradexy | Apr 09, 2012, 04:40 PM EDT

People from Greece, Spain and Portugal dont migrate because their first language isnt English! If they are happy on the dole in their countries then good for them but the Irish arent so the Irish emigrate and work.

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IrelandNorth | Apr 04, 2012, 08:31 AM EDT

Quite apart from the ripple effect of the US property collapse, Ireland's economic woes are not coincidental. Fifteen years of near totalitarian rule by ne major party led to corruption. I believe Ireland's highly successful economy was deliberately comrpomised to bring it into heal with Europe. Economic colonialism. Ditto with Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. A European core/periphery dynamic with the Franco-German Alliance ruling all.

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ancavker | Mar 28, 2012, 12:13 PM EDT

ciara: Give it a rest. the Irish are leaving in many cases because the Republic of Ireland is a failed state, and or because the free goodies are being cut. The ones leaving are not all highly educated etc etc. and Ireland's higher education system (University level) is not all that great compared to the American system. And again I ask you keep saying Ireland has moved on, moved on to what. He you had teh best educated generation of people as you say,and you still amde a mess of the place. It is embarrassing, and the people in Irealnd shoudl be embarrased. And again I ask Greece, Spain, Portugal all their economies are miserable, and yet I have not seen one story about their young people emigrating, The people in Ireland have not moved on, and have not learned a thing a thing. But so many of you have a major attitude problem, oh and you still have the begudgery problem, worse now than ever.

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irishcop025 | Mar 26, 2012, 06:42 PM EDT

Cira, No fear of the Irish having to PUT UP WITH AMERICANS. They arent allowed in here and with attitudes like yours I can see why.

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ciaradexy | Mar 21, 2012, 02:04 PM EDT

Bythebay. youre right. It isnt the 50s. Irish people are educated and our high standards of education are obviously well acknowledged in other parts of the world or there wouldnt bbe jobs fairs here every month looking for Irish graduates to work in other countries! Irish people dont want to work in the service industry because we'd have to put up with Americans treating us like a theme park novelty.

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ciaradexy | Mar 20, 2012, 07:38 PM EDT

If you dont believe me, I suggest you look at the countries websites to see what is required to get one of these migration visas.

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ciaradexy | Mar 20, 2012, 07:37 PM EDT

George, for Irish people to get visas to work in the US, Canada, NZ or Australia they must have a skill, skill and relevant experience from a list of skills required by each individual country. My brother went travelling to Australia and NZ, he spent 2 years in each. There is a shortage of carpenters in each of these countries, he can get a skilled migrant visa in both. Irish people are not given visas to drive buses and wait tables. Those who do these jobs, are most likely on working holiday visas or J1s.

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STEVENSTAR | Mar 20, 2012, 07:21 PM EDT

NOT REALLY TRUE.. A ALOT OF EUROPEAN YOUNG PEOPLE TRAVEL INCLUDING IRISH PEOPLE .. MOST GOTO ENGLAND OR AUSTRALIA WILLINGLY AND NOT AGAINST THEIR WILL... AT THE MOMENT I HAVE 3 COUSINS IN THEIR 20S GONE TO SYDNEY AUSTRALIA FOR A YEAR OUT.. ALL LOVE IT THERE.. SO I THINK THIS ARTICLE IS A BIT OVER DRAMATIC ... SURE WE HAVE A RECESSION BUT SO DOES AMERICA ..

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Curitiba | Mar 20, 2012, 06:24 PM EDT

Don't worry lads, you'll all be driving around in Aston Martins, and casting aside notions of heading for Cricklewood Broadway thanks to this oil and gas bonanza off Cork. You'll have to change the name of the country to the United Ireland Emirates.

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Greendays | Mar 20, 2012, 04:10 PM EDT

Maybe youz guys can get Disney Land to make a bid for the island. Just imagine the job potential. Wish y'all the best of luck.

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GeorgeDillon | Mar 20, 2012, 01:58 PM EDT

Ciara Murphy: Not for the first time, what you write is nonsense. The fact is that the Irish when they go abroad will jump at jobs like security guard, hotel receptionist, bus or truck driver, sales clerk etc. These are the same jobs that according to you they are too smart to do.

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ciaradexy | Mar 20, 2012, 01:46 PM EDT

Irish people who dont want to leave COULD get jobs in areas they dont want to work in such as hospitality, waitressing etc but as our migrants are educated and skilled , they go abroad to work in the areas they have studied in. This is why we need some migrants from abroad too.

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MichaelMcGrath | Mar 20, 2012, 01:06 PM EDT

The Irish Times is a disgrace of a newspaper, it is not just anti-national, it is anti-people. And even worse it is boring.

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ancavker | Mar 20, 2012, 12:55 PM EDT

Greece, Spain, Portugal, etc. all also have miserable economies, where are their people emigrating to??

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irishcoffeekid | Mar 20, 2012, 11:59 AM EDT

I bet if they included a question on their biased survey "how many people in Ireland think the Irish government should be shipped abroad permanently and get out of harms way" there would be a resounding 100% return - wonder how they'd swing that one into a positive - they'd probably manage to twist it to say "isnt it wonderful the irish people believe our politicians expensive trips abroad are worthwhile" There's noone better than the media for twisting reality!!!!

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