IMMIGRANTS FROM the EU accession states are experiencing unemployment here at a higher rate than the native population, according to Dr Alan Barrett of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Dr Barrett will tell a conference in Dublin today on the labour market that a significant proportion of immigrants appear to be staying in Ireland after they lose their job.
He believes this may be in part because labour market conditions in other countries are also poor, as well as the social welfare rates available here being relatively attractive.
He will raise the issue as to how the rising number of unemployed immigrants may affect native Irish people’s attitudes to immigrants and their contribution to the economy generally.
In the first quarter of last year, the unemployment rate for foreign nationals was 5.7 per cent, compared to a rate of 4.3 per cent for native Irish.
This divergence has increased during 2008, especially for EU accession state nationals.
An analysis of employment in the various sectors in the economy found that it was only in hotels and restaurants that immigrant workers substantially outnumbered native Irish workers.
Work by Dr Barrett and Yvonne McCarthy two years ago found that immigrants earned on average 18 per cent less than similarly qualified native workers.
For EU accession state nationals, the difference was 45 per cent.
An examination of live register figures by Dr Barrett found the number of Irish nationals on the register went from 136,414 in October 2007 to 295,658 in March 2009.
For immigrants, the corresponding figures are 21,035 and 75,613.
He noted that changes in eligibility could be part of the explanation for the pattern.
In its commentary published on Tuesday, the institute said it believed there might be net annual emigration of 30,000 in the years to April 2009 and April 2010.
The commentary said that the proportionate increase in the number of Irish nationals on the live register in the year ending March 2009 was 77.2 per cent, while the corresponding figure for foreign nationals was 143 per cent.
For British citizens living here, the increase was 74.3 per cent, while for EU accession state nationals the figure was 225 per cent.
Dr Barrett’s presentation, Migrants in a Recession, is part of an ESRI conference on The Labour Market in a Recession, due to take place in Dublin this morning.
