The extraordinary flow of migrant workers to Ireland from the new EU member-states in central and eastern Europe after May 1st last year has brought great benefits both ways.
It has also seen a number of casualties among those who have been unable to adapt linguistically or socially to their new environment. These people are attracted here, falsely in some cases, by the roar of the Celtic Tiger. Some have been exploited by unscrupulous Irish employers. The Government has now recognised this with proposals to amend the harsh rules prohibiting welfare services to those who fail to find work, following pressure from voluntary agencies and legal queries by the European Commission. This news comes as reports in Polish media dramatise a small minority of individual tragedies affecting young people who have come here - including suicides, dire poverty and the loss of self-esteem associated with migration the world over.
Embassies and agencies dealing with these issues speak of over 100,000 Poles being in Ireland now, between 20,000 and 30,000 Latvians and Lithuanians, perhaps 10,000 Ukrainians, with smaller numbers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. It is hard to square such figures with official statistics or to be sure how many are here illegally or unregistered and how much double counting there is; but some 130,000 permits have been issued and most of those coming here have found work of one kind or another. Those who have little or no English find it hardest to find employment or avoid the worst forms of exploitation. Many of those attracted here do not realise the high cost of living, while most are over-qualified for the work they actually do.
The work permit system was originally loaded in favour of employers and the whole migration regime has grown incrementally in response to labour market demands rather than any thought-out policy approach for the medium-term development of the economy. A much more coherent and fairer system is now required to cater for economic needs, protection of social conditions for Irish and immigrant workers alike, and for the longer- term welfare of a much more diverse society - including the inevitable casualties of migration. A more informed and focused debate on these issues is welcome and timely. It can and should draw on Ireland's own experience of emigration, which is clearly echoed in the experience of Polish and other EU workers living here, as well in the experiences of those from farther afield.
Those who come to work in Ireland will not all be able to return home easily after several years, as they first expected. Unemployment remains high in Poland and it will take time for the new government there to make a difference to that if it can. Latvia and Lithuania are growing apace, drawing in workers from Belarus and Ukraine; but many of those returning home find it difficult to adapt after being away. Ireland must frame its laws and customs to welcome these newcomers, on the assumption that many of them are here to stay and need social protection.