Understanding Immigration and Labour Market Shifts in Post-Boom Ireland

PWP-CCPR-2012-014

Abstract

This paper examines population and labour market shifts in Ireland in the transition period to recession, beginning with the mid-2000 EU Accessions in the last part of the Celtic Tiger boom period and ending in 2010. What jobs do immigrants get in a booming economy – and who loses jobs first when the recession hits? This research adds to discussions in economics, sociology, and geography on the competition between immigrant and native workers under conditions of economic change, although Ireland is a relative newcomer to these debates. A history of emigration and the dramatic increase in university enrollment in recent decades complicates the assessment of job competition, as does the fact that immigrant workers in Ireland are more similar to the native population than immigrant workers elsewhere.