Routes into employment: migrant aspirations and employer strategies
Routes into employment: migrant aspirations and employer strategies
This chapter examines migrant aspirations and employer recruitment strategies in the aftermath of EU enlargement. Polish migrants were attracted to Ireland by the prospect of an endless supply of jobs and a higher income. However, non-economic motives such as the desire to travel and to learn the English language were also present. Upon arrival in Ireland, migrants found employment in both skilled and less-skilled jobs, utilising a number of formal and informal recruitment channels. On the employer side, the chapter documents how Ireland’s open labour market policy transformed the recruitment strategies of Irish firms. Whereas pre-enlargement firms were more likely to recruit migrants from outside of the European Economic Area, this changed after 2004 and the arrival of a qualified workforce. As employers were keen to fill labour shortages, Ireland’s ‘goldrush’ labour market appeared as a ‘win-win’ situation for both sides of the employment relationship.
Keywords: employers, EU enlargement, migrant aspirations, open labour market policy, recruitment
Manchester Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.