Livingstone ThompsonIt is estimated that 10 per cent of the four million people living in Ireland today are migrants, some of whom reside permanently. The rapid inward migration that has occurred in the last decade has brought unprecedented social and psychological changes to the national reality.
Last year the economy grew by seven per cent, the most significant growth for the whole European Union. Fears are that the economy will overheat, and a recent fall in the numbers of new houses being sold has given impetus to the speculation that the Celtic tiger has seen the zenith of its performance. Notwithstanding internal anxieties and fears, there are a number of factors that continue to draw migrants to Ireland.
A few weeks prior to increase of Jamaica's national minimum wage in January this year, the Irish government also introduced new minimum wage guidelines for that country. With effect January 1, 2007, the lowest amount any individual can be paid is ?€5.81 per hour. In that case the worker has to be (a student most likely) under 18. (At today's exchange rate ?€1.00 = JD 90.28.) Once the worker has reached 18 years, (and in the first year of employment), the minimum wage rises to ?€6.64 per hour. In the second year of employment after eighteen years the minimum wage is ?€7.47 per hour, which rises to ?€8.30 for an experienced worker. By way of comparison, the minimum wage in Jamaica is JD80.00 per hour (?€0.89), which is about the price of a pack of chewing gum in Ireland. This means that working even at the lowest possible wage, the minimum wage in Ireland is over seven times that of Jamaica.
All nationals benefit
Apart from the internationally competitive minimum rate, Ireland has maintained a good welfare system, from which all residents and more particularly all nationals of the European Union benefit. Anything from child benefit to unemployment benefit, childcare allowance and elderly care allowance act as safety nets for the most vulnerable.
The relatively high minimum wage and the welfare support are among the reasons for the increasing trends in people, especially from the recent European Union accessions sates, moving to Ireland. According to the 2006 census, of the 400,000 persons who have taken up residence in the state since 1960, 330,000 (about 82 per cent) took up residence in the last 15 years. Nearly 190,000 persons are said to have taken up residence since 2001. While these are official figures, the word on the street is that the actual numbers are a lot higher.
It is against this background of rapid inward migration that we have to see the recent measures introduced to limit the inflow of migrants. The new strategies of limitation, which came into effect in 2007, consist of two main features. The first is that the government has made having a permit a requirement for Romanians and Bulgarians, the two most recent members of the European, to work in Ireland.
Many observers question the wisdom of this decision, as the fact of being members of the European Union means freedom to travel anywhere in the EU. The likely scenario to result from this policy is that a number of migrants from those two recent accession states will enter the low-paid, low-skills job market. Without having the requisite permit to work they will be exploited by employers, who consider giving them jobs a favour.
As we have noticed even with Polish, Lithuanians, and other Eastern Europeans who do not need work permits, the fear of losing their jobs causes them to endure much abuse and the trampling of their rights. Moreover, though the legislation is there to protect the workers, government is reticent in going after employers who are flouting the law.
If this can happen with migrant workers who do not need a permit to work, it boggles the mind to try and imagine the abuse Romanians and Bulgarians will suffer. In recent noteworthy cases, which are being termed human trafficking, Romanians paid up ?€1,000 each to unscrupulous persons, who gave them assurances of finding them jobs, only to be dumped in the state with the traffickers disappearing without a trace.
GREEN CARD SYSTEM
The second feature of the limitations strategies is the implementation of a Green Card system in the new work permit regime. Under the new regime, which came into effect on February 1, 2007, Green Cards will be issued to those migrant workers who have been offered jobs with remuneration of ?€60,000.00 or above. These jobs need not be advertised but must be for at least a two-year contract. Spouses may accompany the Green Card holders and will be allowed to work without the need for a work permit.
Permit to work will also be given to migrant workers who will be paid between ?€30,000 and ?€60,000, providing there is no European national who can be found to fill the position. Only in exceptional cases will permit be given for job paying under ?€30,000.00. To further reinforce the limitation, under the new legislation certain occupations do not qualify for permit. These include clerical and administrative, general operatives and labourers, operations and production staff, sales representatives, hotel and tourism workers and skilled workers associated with the building industry. In other words, the government has determined that there are sufficient persons already present in the country, available from the older EU member states, to fill these positions.
Even with its economic development, Ireland is not a likely spot for Jamaican migration. Of the 50,000 permits issued between 2005 and 2006, only 25 went to Jamaicans. Migrants from the Philippines, Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Eastern Europe account for the majority of migrant workers. However, there are several Jamaicans living in the state, some of whom travelled on exchange programmes.
Serious difficulties
Conversations with some of the exchange students reveal that many have had serious difficulties finding proper accommodation and the necessary jobs to cover their living expenses. Local officers of the exchange programmes should update themselves on the situation in Ireland, which is changing rapidly, so that they can prepare students more effectively for working and studying in Ireland.
In the present climate, Jamaicans seeking to work in Ireland will be met with many obstacles. Apart from the stringent visa requirements, there are serious biases against competing for jobs in the labour market. Mind you, this is also true all job seekers from outside the EU, with the exception of America. It is for that reason, as recent research has shown, that migrant workers are, by and large, more qualified than their Irish counterparts working at the same level. Many highly competent workers from India, China, the Philippines and Russia are working in jobs for which they are far too qualified.
The best chance nowadays of settling in Ireland, without a hassle, is to secure a position which can pay a salary of ?€60,000.00 and above. Many such public jobs are often advertised on www.publicjobs.ie. Direct contact with companies in the different chambers of commerce would be another route. Experienced professionals, especially in the medical and technical fields, should also try their luck at competing for positions in the ?€30,000-?€60,000 bracket. The websites www.monster.ie, www.loadzajobs.ie and www.jobs.ie are some of the better-known ones. People hoping to work in the job categories mentioned above, who do not qualify for permits, will most definitely face serious difficulties.
Dr. Livingstone Thompson is a Jamaican currently working as a migrants rights coordinator in Ireland.
