‘Up to 58,000 young jobseekers likely to emigrate in next 12 months’
Up 58,000 jobseekers aged 18-25 may emigrate in the next 12 months, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NCYI).
Initial findings of a study conducted by the NCYI, full details of which are set to be published in February, found that 70% of jobseekers polled indicated it was likely they would emigrate in the next year unless their prospects in Ireland improved.
“In October, the number of young people on the Live Register stood at almost over 83,000 and based on these figures we could see up to 58,000 young people being forced to emigrate,” the NCYI said in a statement.
“These figures do not take into account the number of young people who may plan to leave Ireland following graduation from college or training and are not on the Live Register.”
The organisation said young people should be given “some hope” in tomorrow’s Budget.
“The Government has introduced some useful and good measures in the last two years, such as the free college places programme, the Labour Market Activation Fund and the Work Placement Programme," said NCYI spokesperson James Doorley, Assistant Director of NYCI.
"However, despite these measures 1 in 3 young men are unemployed, thousands have left and thousands are planning on leaving the scale, speed and imagination of what has been introduced to date is not sufficient”
The NCYI has called for additional investment and the reallocation of existing funding to significantly increase the number and quality of education, training and work experience places to stem the flow of emigration.
“We want to see measures that will give jobseekers hope and will allow young people make a contribution and up skill so that they are well placed to return to work when the economy picks up,” Mr Doorley said.
“We are going to have a mass exodus unless we have some stimulus in education, training and work experience programmes.”
The NCYI is an umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 55 voluntary youth organisations.
