Young Irish emigrate to enjoy themselves says Tánaiste Mary Coughlan
February 16 2010 by Liam Clifford
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has spoken out to say that some emigration from the country is “not a bad thing,” claiming that young Irish people emigrate to “enjoy themselves.”
The minister for enterprise, trade
and employment told the BBC's HardTalk programme that young people are looking
for opportunities abroad. “The type of people who have left, some of them find
they want to enjoy themselves and that’s what young people are entitled to do."
She continued, "Moreover, they are coming with a different talent, they
are coming with degrees, PhDs, they have a greater acumen academically and have
found work in other parts of the world and that’s not a bad thing."
The
statement follow figures showing a rise in the number of Irish people moving to
Australia. Australian work visas and working holiday visas are growing in
popularity among young Irish people who have been affected by the recession.
Many are finding it difficult to get jobs with their new degrees and are looking
elsewhere.
Some 60,000 Irish people have moved to Australia, Canada, the US
and other countries in the past year alone.
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