On Emigration #3

Unemployment is, in absolute terms, at an all-time high just now in the Republic of Ireland. While we have experienced higher rates of unemployment in the 1980s, the current number of nearly half a million is a new record.

I am confident that it will come down again, but the descent will be slower than the upward surge was.

Does anyone think that even 300,000 jobs will be "created" within, say, 5 years ? There is no sign that even the most optimistic left-wing politician believes that this can be achieved.

This means that an awful lot of people are facing a long period of unemployment if they restrict themselves to the opportunities afforded by the Irish labour market. It is a sobering thought. It is not less sobering to note that the opportunities in the traditional English-speaking destinations for Irish job-seekers are perhaps not going to be as good as in the past. And, as noted above, our current temporary labour surplus has never been higher.

On the brighter side, the richer countries are pretty short of the kind of people of whom we now have a surplus, and also, over the last quarter-century it has been noticeable that Irish people have found opportunities all over the world, and not just in the traditional comfort-zones.

The traditional cultural inclination, however, has been for Irish workers to wait and wait and .... Emigration was slow to resume in the 1980s and only really got going after 1986. This was bad for the individuals, and for society in general.It would be tragic if we let the same thing happen again.

I am not suggesting that everyone should, like our forbears, "take the boat" and join the Cricklewood navvy gangs, (even if there are any left), but we should, I suggest, shake off at least a little of our instinctive emigration-averse acculturation and treat the world Global Village as our oyster (which it is). It does not provide an easy option for any but a lucky few, but for many others opportunities will present themselves if they decide, starting right now, to be open to them.

The rest of us, I would urge, should stop bewailing "the return of the spectre of emigration".

And remember: VOIP is a great thing, and medium/long-distance travel has never been quicker, easier or cheaper.

Update on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 10:24AM by Fergus O'Rourke

This entry and the preceding two on Emigration have now been published as an article here, where there has been some interesting reaction.