1,500 flee country per week in ‘brain drain’

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1,500 flee country per week in ‘brain drain’

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/irelan...week-in-brain-drain-167687.html#ixzz1YBcYRUy5

Rough calculations would indicate that about 70,000 people will emigrate this year.

Is the unemployment situation now worse than the eighties? Are there any statistics available as to where all these people are emigrating to?

A couple of years ago (or was it last year) the government were predicting that 100,000 a year would emigrate. It is likely the present figure will increase and nothing at all is being done to stop the flow. That picture in the article of the final year students in UL is particularly poignant.
 
Are these figures not slightly false?

Figures were released for last year a few days ago and show similar figure for people leaving, but 45,000 people came into Ireland.

Sometimes they never let the truth get in the way of the story.

And are all 1500 people the really bright, intelligent, brainy type you hint at?
 
I'm not overly perturbed by emigration. We're a small island, people will come and go and that's generally a good thing. Our history makes it look tragic, but if we can make this island a place worth living in, people will return. Our population is set to grow not diminish.
 
How many are people on a gap year to "go travelling" which many young people did.
Maybe a few months in SE Asia

Before the recession lots did this and it's still going on

Leaving the country isn't like an American wake anymore
 
The figures in the 'Eighties were closer to 60,000 a year.

Its hard to know who the current crop are made up of but I suspect its a mix of mainly young people including

Skilled Tradesmen
Qualified Professionals
Key middle/ senior Employees relocating abroad.

There isn't a huge market for unskilled people, but they will pick up some work in bars, sites, restaurants, etc so I expect a significant portion will be people "seeing the world".

With travel as affordable as it is now, there is a significant difference from the 'Eighties - its easy for them to come back.
When our economy turns around - and its only the perfidious banks and their restrictive lending policies that continues to hurt it now - it will turn on a dime and grow strongly.

Even the doldrums of American and European growth will not prevent us growing in concert with the BRICs economies - there are billions of them, a few million of us and we are an exporting nation.

ONQ.
 
cashier said:
.. That picture in the article of the final year students in UL is particularly poignant.
Click to expand...

This is what was written
"In a striking example of the bleak outlook many young people have of their future in Ireland, Stephen Kinsella, lecturer in economics at the University of Limerick, asked a class of 600 students this week how many intended to emigrate. Most held up their hand."

Poignant is hardly the word here. These are educated people who have the opportunity to travel.

Poignant is the word to be used when you see families with children for whom special supports and other services have been cut meaning that some parents have had to give up work to care for them.
 
I detect a certain note of animosity in this thread regarding emigration.

Sure we only have a half a million unemployed (that's if we include all those on sick benefits, BTEA, FAS courses, CE Schemes etc). I gather we dont have a real problem and its the uneducated that are leaving and the 45,000 who have migrated in to the country are the cream of the crop so nothing to worry about at all.

Everything is just rosy in the garden:)
 
I note on here that "is this true, is that true?" syndrome is predominant. I believe the figures to be true and people are emigrating in massive numbers. Even listening to the radio and television during the past few months we are constantly reminded of the thousands leaving the country.

Then enter Eddie Hobbs and his remarks that the recession was going to last anoter 10 to 15 years. Get real guys, emigration is real.
 
Irish always emigrated, irrespective of economic conditions. OK so maybe more now than usual, but you'd expect a high number of graduates to leave, even during the boom.

Many like to travel and see the world.

If you asked the 1500 who leave each week "would you stay if it was 2007" I am sure many would answer in the negative, and would leave anyway due to their age, wanting to experience new things, places, people etc.

And on the subject of articles like this, why does the headline not tell the true story? Net migration is 655 per week, but I suppose that doesn't sound as bleak.
 
RMCF said:
Are these figures not slightly false?

Figures were released for last year a few days ago and show similar figure for people leaving, but 45,000 people came into Ireland.

Sometimes they never let the truth get in the way of the story.

And are all 1500 people the really bright, intelligent, brainy type you hint at?
Click to expand...
Of the 45000 people that have come into the country how many are refugees/immigrants, just wondering?
 
villa 1 said:
Of the 45000 people that have come into the country how many are refugees/immigrants, just wondering?
Click to expand...


Oh now I am sure they are mostly highly skilled college educated young people who will contribute greatly to our ailing, failing and sick economy. We will be back on track in no time at all!
 
villa 1 said:
Of the 45000 people that have come into the country how many are refugees/immigrants, just wondering?
Click to expand...

I ain't got those stats I'm afraid.

So in this argument, everyone coming in is a thicko, of no use and a drain on our twindling resources, yet every single person leaving is the cream of the crop, brain boxes with PhD's?
 
Leper said:
I note on here that "is this true, is that true?" syndrome is predominant. I believe the figures to be true and people are emigrating in massive numbers. Even listening to the radio and television during the past few months we are constantly reminded of the thousands leaving the country.

Then enter Eddie Hobbs and his remarks that the recession was going to last anoter 10 to 15 years. Get real guys, emigration is real.
Click to expand...

I think emigration is very very sad. I have seen a lot of it in the past 6-12 months. All the 20-30 year olds seem to be leaving. We are going to be left with a generation gap. These are the young people that buy houses and have kids. I reckon if I was that age I would be long gone by now.

Sometimes I feel that the recession hasn't really affected AAM posters or perhaps the people suffering the most have stopped posting.
 
There is a huge difference between the emigration in the 1980s and today. People in the 80's didn't have the same education. Many were forced to enter countries like the US illegally which created huge problems. Air travel was hugely expensive. Many households in Ireland didn't even have a phone so even basic keeping in touch was difficult. It's very different now.

Forced emigration is terrible on families but we are not talking about famine ships here. Some people will return while others will build great lives for themselves in other countries. I emigrated when I was younger and returned. It was tough to do and tough on my family but I dont regret it. Emigration is always viewed negatively in Ireland. Think it goes back to the famine.
 
We have a genetic aversion to emigration built into us from a sad history of forced migration as Sunny points out. But, in a small island adjoining a big one and next to a large continent, migration is completely normal.

But we have failed to make Ireland work properly in many respects. Cossetted employment practices like consultants, the ESB, transport etc have a stranglehold on key parts of the economy. Incestous relationships between business and politics and a failure to hold people accountable only add to the sense that this is a failed state. We have to tackle these problems as a matter of urgency, but aside from these, I think Ireland is a pretty ok place to live.
 
horusd said:
Incestous relationships between business and politics and a failure to hold people accountable only add to the sense that this is a failed state.
Click to expand...

Incestuous relationships between Church and State did the most damage and it will take many years to recover from it.
 
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