21/04/2008

Migrants Say Bye To 'Bi-Polar' Irish Economy

An economic boom in Poland is beginning to draw migrant workers back to their home country as Ireland’s economy slows.

The number of Polish people coming into the country in the first three months of the year has dropped sharply compared to 2007.

Meanwhile, the Polish embassy has reported the repatriation of many of its emigrants as a result of Poland’s economic surge.

A strong Polish currency, as well as improved economic conditions, is contributing to the movement back east.

In the first three months of last year, the Department of Social and Family Affairs issued 18,729 PPS numbers to Polish nationals. Between January and March this year, this dropped to 11,616 a decrease of almost 40pc.

A spokesman from the Polish embassy said: "The free market dictates everything. The decision, from my experience and talking to Poles here, is that money talks.

"More Poles are returning back to Poland from Ireland because of the simple fact of slower development.”

The major slowdown in the building sector in Ireland has left a lot of Polish labourers out of work, and the sector has seen the largest drops in employment of all other sectors over the past few months.

"The Irish economy is developing at the pace of 2% not 5% or 6% like last year. They [Poles] feel this four-point gap now. They feel there is a kind of recession but only in the building sector.

"The Polish economy is increasing by around 5pc a year, we expect 5.5pc growth in 2008 and the Irish economy has only the expectation of 1.9%."

(DW)


Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

21 July 2009
Body Found In Search For Missing Polish Teenager
A body has been found on rocks in the Cod's Head area of west Cork by rescue services searching for a missing Polish teenager. The identity of the person has not been revealed, but reports have indicate that the body is believed to be that of 13-year-old Matthias Latek, who vanished while on a fishing trip with his father on July 12.
11 October 2007
Polish Man Charged Over Fatal Limerick Assault
A 21-year-old man is due to appear in court on Thursday, charged in connection with the assault of a man in Limerick. Stanislaw Stokowski, who is originally from Poland, but lives in Lord Edward Street in Limerick, has been charged with assaulting Matheusz Sabik, another Polish man, on Little Ellen Street in the city on September 30.
08 December 2008
Polish Tiger Lures Back Its Workers
A resurgent Polish economy is drawing back 1,300 Polish immigrants every week to their homeland, according to a survey published today by recruitment agency CPL. The report says around one-third of the estimated 200,000 Polish people in Ireland plan to return to their homeland within the year and another 13% over the next two years.
24 February 2012
Irish Economy Returned To Modest Growth In 2011
There is still uncertainty regarding the outlook for the euro zone, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
16 April 2008
OECD says Irish competitiveness must improve
The OECD has warned that the Irish economy must stay competitive in the immediate future. The report named the 'Economic survey of Ireland 2008' said it is important that Ireland remains internationally competitive as it faces new challenges.