Almost half of Irish workers would emigrate for better jobs

A study has revealed that, although in general Irish workers are still optimistic about their prospects, 48 per cent would happily emigrate if offered a better job.

The study, undertaken by Berkley Recruitment Group, surveyed 2,369 Irish workers. Increased optimism about current jobs was noted in 40 per cent of the respondents, who believed their prospects had improved over the last six months, a higher number than in similar surveys carried out in Italy (38 per cent, France (36 per cent) and Spain (35 per cent). Optimistic workers were less in evidence in Germany at 27 per cent of those polled.

Further comparisons as to workers’ belief in their chances of promotion followed similar lines, with 23 per cent if Irish workers saying their chances had improved since last year. German workers returned 20 per cent and 18 per cent of the total polled in the UK hoped for promotion.

France bottomed out at three per cent, with most of those polled believing they were stuck in a rut. Confidence in the Irish economy slumped, with over two thirds of respondents believing they would lose their jobs if the euro collapsed.

Berkely’s MD, Fergal Brosnan, finds the results disturbing and shocking, saying that the only redeeming feature is that workers in other EU countries are even more pessimistic about their prospects and far more likely to emigrate to better their lives. He added that, even though the world’s workforces are becoming ever more mobile, the study spoke volumes about the effect on employees of the shrinking options in their home country.