100,000 foreign graduates needed to fill jobs
The occupational employment forecast report for 2010 from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and FÁS said more workers with Third Level qualifications will be needed because of a falling younger population and rising retirements and deaths.
While further retraining and lifelong learning initiatives are expected and more people may return to work, ESRI and FÁS believe these factors will not be enough to meet the shortfall.
ESRI professor Jerry Sexton said we will probably need more than the estimated 110,000 graduates who came to Ireland during the 1990s to bridge the gap.
“We’re not suggesting how this might be solved but questions certainly arise about the way things are going. If we relied on 110,000 immigrants in the last decade, we’ll need the same number again and probably more,” he said.
He said large numbers could come from countries joining the EU this year, although there may be an issue around recognition of some states’ qualifications.However, the Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology said the demographic situation might not be as stark.
The Department of Education is believed to have figures showing that Third Level student numbers could rise by at least 20,000 over the next decade, prompted by children of returned immigrants and a rising birth rate since the mid-1990s.
“We would like to see the figures so we can assess how to produce enough graduates for the jobs market. Third Level institutions will work to increase mature students and people from overseas but spending freezes and cuts of previous years will have to be reversed,” said council chairman Paul Hannigan.
A Department of Education spokesperson said that Third Level funding should not be viewed on just one year’s spending, which stands at almost €1.5 billion in 2004. He said this is 74% more than in 1997 and full-time enrolments have risen by almost one-fifth since then. “The department is aware of the ESRI’s projections and is represented on Forfás’ Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which will take account of these figures in its work,” he said.
The department has not released its own student projections, but they are believed to be up for discussion by top officials soon.
