In search of a brighter future

The Irish are trying their luck elsewhere, as a new wave of emigration begins amongst the country's young professionals, with hundreds booking one way flights to far flung destinations...

The economic downturn in Ireland is fuelling a massive increase in the number of Irish nationals emigrating to Australia, new figures have confirmed.

Ireland has suffered some of the most extreme house price drops as a result of the credit crunch, following one of the biggest housing booms in history.

Alongside property price falls, unemployment is on the up and recession is hammering on the door, suggesting 2009 will be the toughest year in a quarter of a century.

All of this makes starting a new life elsewhere a tempting proposition for many skilled workers and young professionals.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has reported that emigration is at its highest level for nearly 20 years, with 45,300 workers leaving the country in the year to April 2008. The majority of these (11,300) have left for Australia and New Zealand.

The massive migration is covering all job sectors, from hairdressers to architects to financial service workers.

There are also strong opportunities for those who are finding the downturn in house building in Ireland a problem.

The Australian National Rental Affordability Scheme was introduced gives tax incentives for investors to build up to 100,000 new affordable rental properties and its purpose is to reduce all rental costs this year.

Thus, Irish building developers could continue their career in Australia.

The number of working holiday visas (WHVs) has increased sharply. A total of 7,332 WHVs were issued between July 1st and October 31st, 2008, which was a 33 per cent increase on the previous year.

The numbers of young Irish applying for their second WHV has almost quadrulped in a year.

Over the past two months, Trailfinders, one of Ireland's leading travel specialists, has seen a 25 per cent increase in bookings to Australia, with visa applications up 35 per cent on last year.

Dave Hayeems, General Manager at Trailfinders, says the company has noted a dramatic turnaround in the nature of bookings in comparison to January 2008.

"Last year we had a lot of 30 to 40-year-olds booking high-spend holidays where they would be staying in luxury resorts.

"But now the trend has shifted towards skilled labourers and professionals in the 20 to 29 age bracket and Australia seems to be the dominant destination."

"Flights to Australia are almost completely booked up for the first half of January and there is a lot of talk about emigration and most of the enquiries are about visas to work there," he added.

There is a lot of opportunity to go and work abroad. Engineers, social workers and interior designers are among the latest list of workers being sought by the Australian Government as part of its Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).

The list is updated twice a year and prospective migrants who have occupations on this list get extra points towards their visa.

Edwina Shanahan of Migration Abroad.com, said, "There is currently a need for many different skilled occupations.

"This shortage list is adjusted to meet Australia's needs, so if you are eligible now, there has never been a better time to apply.

"Certain trades, such as plumbers and electricians, do have to get license to work, but for engineers, accountants, nurses and similar professional occupations, we can arrange their Australian membership with the relevant bodies pre-departure," she added.

Picture by benimoto