I’d love to know how many people have emigrated since 2007?

I would imagine around 500000

83,000 last year anyway!

Over 200 per day.

I’m 30 and have said goodbye to most of my friends who are in oz, New York & San Fran. I know families who have lost all there children to emigration and have suffered depression over it. Imagine you spend your life rearing your kids, the centre of your world and then you say goodbye to them one by one and go home to nothing. What annoys me is that a lot of us don’t want to emigrate but feel forced. I’ve been trying to avoid it like the plague as I’m close with my parents but its dawning on me everyday that it may be my only option, locked into a dead end mortgage at over priced boom levels, grey sky’s, emigration sounds pretty good actually.

Nice one journal, I wrote a big speech on emigration and it wiped as I posted it. Not doing it again.

Pass no heed Declan. You should enjoy London at least people aren’t so quick to judge ya here and call you out for trying to better your lot.

I have a friend that was unemployed for most of last year and took a temporary job for 4 months at the end of last year to stop him from going crazy. He has seen a job on Jobs bridge that he would be perfect for and wants to take up but you have to be on the dole for 3 of the last 6 months. Hes been on it for most of the last 12 months but 2 of the last 6 so is not eligible for the jobs bridge job which he is ideal for. CRAZY!

My thoughts exactly how many of our sons and daughters have left the green isle and parents not knowing when they will see their loved ones again apart from Skype for those that can use the technology How proud are the politicians at announcing these figures Shame on them for forcing our young to leave

Yip I off to Oz for three weeks in July. I am self employed and work hard. I was out of work myself for five months in 2011 but instead of jumping ship straight away I networked and kept at it until I got back into work.

That’s great to hear Tom glad things worked out for you like that, but that in no way gives you the right to say that people are leaving because they want to, not everyone is as fortunate as you.

Congratulations Tom on your success. I wish you all the best. While you’re in Oz I suggest you talk to some of the emigrants there, hear their story before getting the paint brush out.

Ok smart arse you explain why if so many are leaving then why is the unemployment rate so high and remaining static? Even the government expected emigration to help ease the unemployment rate but its not.

tom you say the goverment expects immigration to ease the unempolyment rate we are being flooded by africans

Most of the people I know did find part-time jobs shop work , nothing wrong with it but a lot of them were working so not on live register , but as I said earlier, I cannot financially have a future here with the wages I am on , I didn’t spend 4 years in college to work in a bar for another 5-10 years , I will be in my 30s with no money no house nothing ! Not putting my life on hold

Tom

Of the people I know who left Ireland many did so as they couldn’t fulfil their potential here. Most had jobs but these were not the jobs they trained for and were qualified in but lower paying jobs with little or no career prospects. I emphasise with this point as I am in a similar position but cannot leave due to family commitments.

If unemployment was not a problem many of these people would have stayed as even tho they were not currently in their desired position they would have had a chance to someday be there. As it is there is no chance and if/when the country does improve we will need them to return. The way this government has behaved I think it will take some convincing.

Tom Maguire, gee I dunno would it have something to do with the fact that under 25′s can’t sign on if both their parents are working? Both my brothers emigrated because the government have them by the hooleys no matter what they do! What are their options? Jobsbridge/part-time work/emigration/or do fas course after fas course with no employment? Can somebody define lifestyle choice for me please? To me right now it would mean being able to pay your bills & mortgage, that’s my lifestyle choice at the moment.

Truth is a lot of us emigrate out of college due to the fact we can’t gain employment or can’t/ won’t sign on. So we leave adding to the emigration total but not affecting the live register total. Simples

Tom, can I live in your kingdom in the clouds?

Wake up Tom the emigrants are replaced by eu nationals or east
africans

In my experience most of my friends and acquaintances who have emigrated we’re either working in Ireland when they left or did so immediately after college.

I accept that it may be unique to my circle of friends. .

Tom your comments are ridiculous, I along with another 33 in my class graduated in June, now out of that 33 about 3 have jobs a few have gone back doing other courses because they had no other option, now the rest of us are being FORCED to emigrate, I have an honours business degree, I am working in a bar a few days a week, what are my options, stay here and work in a bar financially trying to create a future for myself is not possible, I have looked for work, I have gone into talk to local entrepreneurs face to face and I have had no luck getting work, even they have said my only option is to emigrate.
I would love to go to oz for maybe 6 months to a year but do you not get that I am leaving with no idea will I be able to come home, will it be 10 years will it be 5. I may never be able to come home.
My sister is gone, I have two cousins gone and loads of friends. Just go around and talk to local GAA clubs they are finding it hard to even put a team together.
My mother spent a fortune putting me and my sister through college for what to send us off to oz and not know when she will see us again.
I have gotten very interested in politics lately as it will determine my future, FF, FG and labour are destroying our country, stop paying promissory notes its illegal and start investing the money in the economy so we might see some substantial growth, they need to grow a pair and stand up to the eu or step aside and let the likes of Pearse d 100 times more capable

Most emigrants I know left decent jobs here to take low paid work in a more glamorous location. They’ve no problem flipping burgers in Sydney or Toronto but wouldn’t dream of it back home.

Well said Waffler

Waffler, you’re a Waffler!

Yes Tom I’m here in London the past 4 years my kids are in Dublin , I really enjoy being away from thanks for reminding me , and the other 1000s of construction worker who are here too having a ball ,,, cheers

@Lord Loverocket Just telling it like it is. Most of my friends have emigrated but only one is working in a field remotely related to his qualifications. That’s because he learned Japanese and now has a great job in Tokyo. The ones who went to Australia and Canada are pumping gas, pulling pints and flipping burgers but they’re having a great time. For that latter group the reason to leave was nothing to do with the economy, they just wanted to live somewhere more “exciting”. If you genuinely want to emigrate for your career then you need to learn a foreign language as English speaking countries won’t offer you much in this regard. If you’re happy to work minimum wage and hit the beach every day then by all means do but don’t say you left because of the economy.

Both my sisters and three of my closest friends have emigrated in the past 5 years. Lifestyle choice. Not at all. The opportunities in their chosen professions were/are not available here. I will most likely emigrate when I graduate in 2 years. This is the reality of most of Ireland’s young, skilled and educated.

Julie very well said but unfortunately Enda and company is not and will not listen all they are doing is pleasing the Germans and the the French and aping up to all the European leaders for the next six months with this presidential being here We have lost too many of our children to forced evacuation just like it was 50 years ago and some of those people never came home they are known as the forgotten Irish let down by incompetent governments then too only difference was the world were coming out of a war and needed the paddy’s to rebuild their cities If you do go away please come home and bring some of your friends back with you because we will be a country without any skilled young folk and all our hard work will have been in vain and the government may put a wall at the end of every street and call each and every street nursing homes for the bewildered parents left behind

I have looked for work here so did the 33 other I graduated with , yes we talk about emigration before we leave college because there is a strong possibility it is the only option that we have. Have you missed the massive recession the massive numbers of people unemployed , there are people who have the same degree as me who have years experience , we both apply for the same job who will get it , 90% of the jobs I apply for want 2-3 years experience , I can’t get that experience. As I said earlier I did try for a job I spoke face to face with local entrepreneurs and they told me that they had no jobs for me , they said only area where they have seen an improvement in jobs isIT sector . Now from your posts your not a young person so look I am and I have more of an idea of what’s going on than you . The young people are leavin because they HAVE too . Sister and boyfriend an my two cousins highly educated left because they HAD to !

But Julie no matter what country you go to employers will favour those with experience.

Ye really only read the bits ye want to read and are so tuned out from reality it is frightening , yes but in other countries like Australia there are not hundreds of highly qualified people unemployed looking for work most are in jobs so there isn’t as much competition. That’s basic understanding !

Waffler that is not true of most sectors seeking to employ Graduates. Industries know Graduates come with little or no experience. What they do have is a piece of paper to say they are competent and are able to articulate knowledge of their field, they can also pick up skills quickly when they start on the job. Employers know this and they reflect the lack of experience within the salary they offer. They offer you a lower salary which covers their risk. Within a year if you’ve proven your worth you go looking for a pay increase.

The only place I see of employers hammering you for no experience is Ireland. Don’t get me started on the whole work for free while you prove yourself all the while their cash flow improves as a direct result of your expense both time and money.

I’m also a bit disheartened by the amount of people who criticise those who emigrate. We were faced with an option which we agonised over for months. Some choose to stay others choose to go neither is right neither is wrong. We all just try and do the best we can with what we have.

Me I chose to go. Why? Simple I was offered a good opportunity to gain valuable experience within my field. The negative is I miss Ireland. Does that mean I am willing or should be willing to sacrifice my future worth to stay? No. Does it mean I’m still entitled to miss home? Yes