This may come as a surprise to some if not all but despite the downturn in the economy the number of work permits granted in the past year is up on 2009. This conumdrum is teased out very well in an article by Emmett Oliver in the Indo.In a week where the Nobel prize was won for work on friction in labour markets this raises some interesting questions for Ireland, especially in the face of new laws requiring proof from employers a suitable EU candidate could not be found before a work permit can be applied for.
It is a worrying case where with 400,000 plus unemployed in this state that 6,000 jobs could not be filled by citizens from within the EU because those employees could not be found. Is it a case of lower wages and high benefit rates? A lack of language training? Specific job skills missing? Or after years of a culture of Irish workers turning their noses up at low paid jobs are domestic employers simply finding that eager non EU workers are preferable?
I also think that it is a case of people are just simply too lazy now. How often do we hear that workers won't carry out tasks because it is not in the job description. We gained economic prosperity from hard work at competitive prices. We the Irish people provided this kind of labour for the English and American markets during the 1980’s and now I think it is a case of if there is a sign of hard work people opt out for benefits (welfare trap). Why bother to work for low wages when we have high social welfare. Did hard work really ever kill anyone? I think our lazy generation are afraid to take this possible deadly risk.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Irish employees in low paid jobs is there is little security for the employer that they will be there next week. We are all used to higher wages and even when in a lower payed job will always be looking for a step up to a more comfortable number( especially graduates).
ReplyDeleteWith non EU workers the employer holds the work permit not the worker so it allows employees piece of mind because the workers have zero mobility and in that case will of course be preferable. The danger is that non EU citizens will be more likely to accept substandard/illegal work conditions and pay in certain industries and this can lead to abuse. Case in point the GAMA workers.