Poll: Diversity in work presents new challenge

Workplace diversity is becoming top of the agenda in this country owing to the fast-changing nature of the Irish workforce.

According to Monster’s latest poll, 49% of employees responded that their company had a diverse workforce or that they were starting to think about it.

Due to a recent surge of immigration, foreign nationals now make up 10% of the two million strong Irish workforce.

However, this influx is not without its problems. According to statistics released this month by the Irish Equality Tribunal the number of people claiming to have been victims of racial discrimination in the workplace had doubled in 2006 compared to a year earlier and looked set to increase again in 2007.

“In Ireland employers are dealing with a workforce that has quickly become more multi-cultural and this can cause challenges for companies.

“They need to have the right policies in place to ensure equal treatment in the work place,” said Rob Brouwer, CEO Monster UK and Ireland.

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster users in Ireland from May 18 to June 1.

Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s online poll may do so by logging onto http://www.monster.ie.

Monster.ie is the local content website for Monster, the leading global online careers and recruitment resource.