Barriers to employment for migrants highlighted

Poor recognition of the qualifications they hold is among the barriers to employment that non-EU migrants face in Ireland.

Lack of targeted measures to develop skills is another obstacle to labour market integration, according to new research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The research, published today, also finds ad hoc progress in delivering on the Government’s Migration Integration Strategy 2017-20, which sets out the framework for a range of actions to support migrants to participate fully in Irish life.

For instance, despite a requirement for local authorities to develop their own migrant integration strategy, the researchers found few have done so.

Moreover, the research shows that English for Speakers of Other Languages programmes have developed “in the absence of a national strategy”, with individual Education and Training Boards developing programmes in response to demand at local level.

The ERSI researchers said while State agency Quality and Qualifications Ireland provides guidance on recognising foreign qualifications, further efforts are needed, “including from Irish professional bodies to make progress in this area”.

One of the report’s authors, Emma Quinn, said that while migrant integration has moved up the policy agenda in recent years, “it is not clear if it has been given sufficient priority by all relevant parties”.

“Successful integration means that migrants can make a vital contribution and help to meet the labour market demands of a growing economy,” said Ms Quinn.

Currently, the ability to make a contribution among non-EU migrants favours those who hold “critical skills” qualifications.

Holders of Critical Skills Employment Permits — designed to increase Ireland’s attractiveness to skilled workers — are entitled to immediate family reunification and, after two years, they are free to work without a permit. As, of March 2019, their spouses and partners no longer need to hold an employment permit to work in Ireland.

However, as the researchers point out, family members of other non-EU workers are issued with a Stamp 3 residence permission, which does not allow them to work.

They are calling for a collective effort to help non-EU migrants access employment.

In 2017, 26,000 non-EU workers lived in Ireland. The number of employment permits issued to non-EU migrants doubled between 2013 and 2018 to reach 11,300.

The research, Policy and practice targeting the labour market integration of non-EU nationals in Ireland, is part of n EU-wide study conducted by the European Migration Network, which is funded by the European Commission and Department of Justice and Equality.