The findings and recommendations are based on comprehensive fieldwork, including interviews and focus groups, conducted between March 2023 and June 2024 with 165 migrants, of 31 nationalities, who are living in 11 counties (Galway, Mayo, Waterford, Kerry, Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, Clare, Tipperary, Carlow, and Limerick). This came at a crucial time, with the relocation of more than 100,000 Ukrainian citizens to Ireland after Russia launched its war in 2022.
Ukrainians make up a consistent part of the cohort, and the study outlines many of the challenges that they encountered over two years of life in Ireland; as well as documenting the efforts made by several communities to involve them in social life. The study underscores the complex adaptability of rural areas for migrants, shaped by factors like socio-economic opportunities and the degree of individual choice.
Website: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news-archive/
Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of multibillion dollar food company Chobani. The organization mobilizes businesses to connect refugees to work; one of the most important milestones for a refugee to successfully integrate in their new communities. It supports and advises member companies through a variety of services including tailored guidance, access to a library of ‘how to’ resources and best practices, training for HR teams, connections to best-in-class local NGOs, and more. Tent’s members span a variety of industries – from retail and consumer goods to hospitality and financial services – and include major businesses such as Amazon, L’Oréal, ManpowerGroup, and Pfizer.
Website: https://www.tent.org/
The new Pact will strengthen border security, streamline asylum procedures and allow Member States to choose between accepting asylum seekers or providing financial and operational support. Ireland officially opted into the Pact on June 27, 2024, following a vote in both houses of the Oireachtas. While the Pact is legally in effect, Ireland, along with other EU countries, has until June 12, 2026, to fully implement the new regulations. Disinformation campaigns about the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum often frame asylum seekers as an ‘existential threat’ to Irish society. However, these campaigns are usually politically motivated and used to sow confusion and division within Irish communities.
Website: https://ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_en
Migration continues to grow in Ireland. 2024 was the third year with over 100,000 people coming in and Census 2022 reports that 420,465 people in the work force were non-Irish nationals. In terms of socio-economic groupings, nearly half were classified in non-manual, manual skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled occupations, compared with 39 per cent of Irish nationals. This is a variance with noting the high educational qualifications of immigrants, indicating that many are employed below their skill level. There is a need to accelerate the appropriate recognition of qualifications gained in other countries so that migrants can work in their fields of expertise. This is coupled with the need to provide both decent work and infrastructure to support increasing numbers of immigrants who will need to be housed and whose healthcare and childcare needs must be accommodated.
Website: https://www.socialjustice.ie/
The right to work is essential in ensuring the inclusion of asylum applicants and refugees in their host country, and in guaranteeing that they lead a dignified life. To meet the objectives of international refugee law and facilitate integration, EU asylum law obliges EU MS to provide asylum applicants with access to the labour market no later than nine months after lodging an asylum application. Despite this legal framework, implementation faces hurdles stemming from the varied transposition of EU secondary law, diverse practices among EU MS, and persistent structural challenges that have yet to be effectively addressed.
Numerous challenges impede the right to work for asylum applicants and undermine the principle of non-discrimination in employment. Based on the assessment of the situation across the EU, several challenges restricting employment opportunities for asylum seekers emerge, falling into distinct categories: 1) deterrent reception policies; 2) lack of or insufficient implementation of legal obligations; 3) excessive administrative requirements; 4) practical challenges, namely language barriers, lack of recognition of qualifications and lack of access to vocational training; and 5) discrimination.
Website: https://ecre.org/
The Irish Refugee Council’s ‘Mná nah Éireann Employment Integration from Day One’ program is successful, and it empowers female refugees and migrants to take ownership of their employment opportunities and empowers them through understanding of their employment rights and entitlements. Explains Irelands’ taxation system, and how to register with Irish tax office, along with guidance on financial planning, and how employment affects social welfare, medical card, social housing entitlement and income thresholds for joint family visas. Having this information in one place provides confidence and a structured support for the participants. On the other hand, it bring employers close to talented and hard working persons who they are confident to take on as the IRC is vouching for them having participated in their programme.
Website: https://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/
This research is a series of investigations into migration and integration policies, scrutinizing their ramifications on the structural and socio-cultural integration of immigrants. The contributions range from policy analysis, dissecting the content and purpose of national laws and regulations to explorations of policy execution and its impacts at more localized levels. The researcher, King utilized data from the European Union Labour Force survey to examine the impact of migration and integration policies on immigrant marginalization within Europe. His research underscores the significant role played by restrictive immigration policies, labour market institutions, and the welfare state on migrants' experience of marginalization. Complementarily, Kleinewiese employed factorial survey experiments to probe the underpinnings of everyday discrimination against immigrants, revealing that the perception of fairness can mitigate ethnic discrimination.
Emphasis is placed on understanding the role of migration and integration policies in addressing the needs of marginalized immigrant groups, including women and refugees. An overview of the research findings in refugees' labor market challenges and discuss the individual and contextual factors shaping refugees' labor market trajectories. Meanwhile, Kassam and Becker's study focuses on recently arrived Syrian refugees in Germany, shedding light on the importance of ethnic social networks and economic factors in shaping their political engagement. Additionally, Damen et al. analyze recent Syrian refugees in the Netherlands, highlighting the critical role of reception policies and regional unemployment rates in facilitating refugee's employment. Furthermore, Zavisca et al.'s research offers valuable insights into the hardships endured by internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. Their findings emphasize the profound negative effects of housing deprivation, which significantly undermines both the material and experiential wellbeing of internally displaced individuals.
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/