Tradesmen down tools for better life Down Under

A GROWING number of Irish tradesmen are swapping the Celtic Tiger for the sunny Oz lifestyle and job opportunities Down Under, according to Australian visa agencies.

It’s not just men in their 20s who are making the move. One organisation says that nearly early two-thirds of tradesmen who emigrate are in their 30s and bringing young families.

According to migration.ie, a recent longitudinal survey by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship found that more than 97% of skilled and professional migrants had little problem finding work in Australia.

Migration.ie spokeswoman Edwina Shanahan said the numbers travelling to Australia and New Zealand on long-term visas have increased steadily in recent years, with many availing of the employers-sponsored workers or the general skilled migration programme.

“There has been a steady overall increase, but particularly among trades people. For most, the main reason for moving is better job prospects and quality of life.

“With competitive salaries now on offer to skilled subcontractors and a lower cost of living, it isn’t hard to see why trades people are downing tools and making the move,” she said.

Migration.ie estimate that up to 4,000 Irish people moved to Australia and New Zealand in 2006. They say the surge in people leaving the Irish construction industry is a result of a slowdown in the Irish building sector.

The Construction Federation of Ireland strongly disputes this, saying that while the housing sector has slowed in recent months, the commercial and public sector is still growing. CFI head of public affairs Martin Whelan said employment in construction has remained static in the past six months, with about 290,000 employed. Two years ago, the figure was 260,000.

“We have not recorded any big drop in employment figures. There is a degree of mobility in the sector with people moving from housing construction to the commercial sector and to the civil engineering sector in recent months. The office sector in particular is very strong,” he said.

The Economic and Social Research Institute forecast a slowdown in the economy earlier this week, predicting that house prices will fall by 3% and that investment in housing will drop by 4.7%, and a further 6% next year.

The ESRI added that a less buoyant economy would mean that employment growth would fall by 87,000 new jobs in 2006 to 58,000 next year.