FAS wooing German jobseekers to Ireland

MAIK (20) and Thomas (22) looked bewildered as they roamed around the stands at Berlin's Jobs Ireland exhibition, organised by FAS to introduce Germans to the attractions of working in Ireland. The two young skinheads knew little about the country known to many Germans as "die grune Insel" (the green island) but they were sure of one thing - they wanted to emigrate.

"There's no work here and I can't see any hope. We're looking for work in the construction industry and we heard that the Irish need people. It's worth a try," Maik said.

Almost half a million people in Berlin and its surrounding state of Brandenburg are out of work and the unemployment rate in the region is close to 16 per cent. But Germany, like most developed countries, faces a skills shortage in sectors such as information technology and has just introduced a Green Card scheme to attract workers from outside the European Union.

Mr Tom Kitt, Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, acknowledged that the Republic must now compete with other EU member-states to attract the most highly skilled. "We have to get the manpower and we have to get the best," he said.

St Vincent's Hospital was one of three medical institutions hoping to persuade doctors and nurses to move to Ireland - a task made easier by German health reforms that have made it increasingly difficult for medical staff to find work. Many of those who visited the exhibition were interested in working in the numerous call centres based in the Republic, many of which serve the German market.

Mr Gregory Craig, director of the Jobs Ireland exhibition, said it was difficult for any country to compete on the basis of pay but that many Germans were attracted by the image of Ireland as a healthy, unspoilt environment. He admitted that Dublin's sclerotic traffic, poor public transport system and serious housing shortage did not fit into this idyllic picture.

"We're selling living conditions, the countryside and the quality of the education system. The Dublin scenario is a problem but we're looking more at places like Sligo and Leitrim, towns that suffered most from the effects of emigration which we're now helping to repopulate," he said.

Many IT companies solve the housing problem for their employees by including a rent-free apartment in the pay deal but most of the Germans attending yesterday's exhibition were warned that they could expect to pay heavily for a small flat in Dublin.

For Maik and Thomas, news that the Government is planning a national construction programme made the prospect of moving to Ireland more attractive still.