No escape from recession, says college student
Monday, December 15th, 2008There’s no escape from the recession, writes a Dublin City University student in “The College View”, a campus publication. Sabrina Ryan notes that, “Emigration has been a dominant factor in Irish society over the past four centuries for many reasons including famine, job opportunity and more recently for the experience.“
That may be changing, she notes, as the traditional emigrant destinations of the US, Britain and Australia are also threatened by recession.
Ryan interviews three emigrants:
- a man who left from Mayo in 1971 to head for Cleveland, and who returned after a brief stay to take advantage of the improving conditions after Ireland joined the EU.
- An undocumented immigrant living in the Bronx, who left for adventure and appreciates the life experience New York has given him.
- A recently unemployed cabinet-maker who is planning to emigrate to Australia. His brother left for Dubai earlier this year.
It’s an interesting insight into the emigrant experience of three different eras – made poignant by the fact that it’s written by a member of a generation that few would have believed would need to consider emigration as a matter of economic necessity.
Related link:
The College View: Au Revoir to Fair Ireland?
Unemployment hits 7.8%
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008The latest unemployment figures show that unemployment rose sharply last month, as the CSO estimates the unemployment rate has hit 7.8%, up from 6.3% at the end of the third quarter.
The number of people joining the Live Register rose by nearly 17,000 – this is the largest increase yet. The vast majority of those joining the Live Register were men, with 13,600 men and 3,300 women joining.
Several economists quoted in media reports say unemployment was on course to reach 10% by the end of 2009.
“World wide webs” diaspora book published by Australian think tank
Monday, February 18th, 2008“World wide webs: diasporas and the international system” has been published today by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, an independent think tank based in Sydney, Australia. The paper by Michael Fullilove looks like a significant contribution to the field of Diaspora Studies.
From the website:
In this paper, Michael argues that diasporas (communities which live outside, but retain their connections with, their homelands) are getting larger, thicker and stronger – with important implications for global economics, identity, politics and security. Michael compares diasporas to ‘world wide webs’ emanating from states, with dense, interlocking, often electronic strands spanning the globe and binding different individuals, institutions and countries together. World wide webs offers a fresh take on globalisation which raises difficult questions for national governments, including the Australian government.
Download “World wide webs” from the Lowy Institute website.
Irish lawyers heading Down Under
Irish lawyers who are losing their jobs at home are looking for jobs in Australia, according to The Australian newspaper. The report is one more indicator that the recession has hit at all sectors of society.
Australian recruiters are reporting that both Irish lawyers and Australian-trained lawyers working in Ireland have been contacting them for work. The article quotes Anna Murphy who moved from London to Melbourne:
I have friends who are lawyers in Dublin asking me about moving over here and if there are some areas that are easier to move over in than others. Quite a few of my friends have been made redundant and some of them have taken quite serious pay cuts.
Traditionally it would have been London or even New York but they’re gone so we’re looking at other English-speaking common law jurisdictions. I think that because there’s so many Australians working in Ireland a lot of people in their late 20s and early 30s would have friends from Australia and have some knowledge of Australia so there’s that tie as well.
Read the article:
The Australian: Scores of Irish lawyers hoping to land a job in Oz