The view from the rest of Europe

Germany isn't the only European option for Irish jobseekers. Derek Scallyand Ruadhán Mac Cormaicround up the situation in Sweden, France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland

SWEDEN

As Ireland struggles, Sweden has been almost unscathed by recession. Working quietly among their neighbours in Stockholm are Irish goldsmiths, shopkeepers, consultants and engineers.

With a property and banking crash 20 years in the past, Sweden is a good place to start looking for work in Europe. But first things first: the Swedish language.

“Just English with a Cork accent and different words,” jokes Colm O’Callaghan, a manager with a marketing agency and resident since 1996.

He thinks that with the right attitude – and the benefit of state-sponsored courses – anyone can pick up the language within a year of arrival.

That’s a view shared by Fergus McMahon of Enterprise Ireland’s Stockholm office. He points out, though, that a proficiency rate of 85 per cent means that a lot of business is done through English. That makes getting established easier, he says, although getting to grips with the Swedish mentality will take a little longer.

As well as sharing in the Europe-wide shortage of engineers, Stockholm is a base for many start-up technology companies, with a saying here that “technology drips down from the north”.

Non-natives can tap a lively creative scene and marketing industry and take advantage of good infrastructure and subsidised childcare at a maximum of €100 a month.

The key to cracking Stockholm – the only city besides Gothenburg emigrants should consider – is getting a personal number from the tax office: without it you cannot open a bank account, buy a mobile phone or even rent a DVD.

FRANCE

Across the border in France, anecdotal evidence suggests the flow of new Irish arrivals is strong as ever, although no major spike has been noted.

Many Irish people in Paris first came to work for multinational companies or banks, with salaries higher than typical French rates.

But the Irish community in France is not confined to Paris. Dan Veale, an Irishman who is president of Celtic Connection, an expat association in the Alpine city of Grenoble, says he has seen an increase in new arrivals from Ireland during the recession at home.

Most are highly-qualified young people drawn by the concentration of high-tech industry in a city that sees itself as the French equivalent of Silicon Valley.

“Most of the Irish people in Grenoble are in high-technology. The city has got a nuclear research centre, it’s got 30,000 students in the university and it’s got Hewlett Packard and others,” says Veale. “We’ve got a few new guys at our football matches, and our events are better attended.”

France’s recession was not as deep or as prolonged as Ireland’s, but the unemployment rate, at about 10 per cent, has shifted little in recent years. For young people, it’s higher still.

SPAIN

Spain has been a popular destination with Irish holidaymakers for years, but the situation looks chillier for would-be Irish immigrants.

With four million people (one in 10) looking for work, it has one of the highest rates of unemployment in Europe and already has a very high number of immigrants.

With this competition, only the best CVs need apply. Analysts have indicated that beyond the areas of new technology, a university qualification doesn’t carry the weight that it previously did. In this sense, training with a technical background may be more attractive to companies than formal studies.

The areas with most possibilities are the traditional mainstays such as Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country, as well as the cities on the Mediterranean coast, such as Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Alicante.

A firm grasp of the Spanish language is increasingly essential as many of the big international employers have downsized, if not pulled out, taking with them the main opportunities for English speakers with a financial or IT services background.

The Bologna plan reforms for European educational systems have raised English requirements sharply, and thus, the English language as a product still offers job prospects.

POLAND

Besides Sweden and Germany, the other booming European economy is Poland, with four per cent economic growth estimated this year.

With no banking crisis, property bubble or personal debt burden, Poland has escaped the worst excesses of modern Irish life. The flow of Irish emigrants to Poland will never come close to matching the flow of Polish emigrants to Ireland in recent years. But there are opportunities to be had.

The 2012 European Championships means there is a lot of contract work available for engineers and building workers through companies such as Sisk and SIAC. For professionals, there are also opportunities where the Polish language is not essential.

“We’re very busy, companies here are hiring again with more work coming down the pipeline,” says Seamus Pentony, an Irish recruitment consultant based in Warsaw. He sees job opportunities for people in the manufacturing and import-export sectors, not to mention executives for international companies. “There are a lot more barriers to Irish here, in particular the language, though it’s not insurmountable,” he says. “And there are exceptional stories of people coming here and starting their own businesses and working quietly to become big players.” Working for a foreign company or starting your own business are the best options for new arrivals in Poland, say Irish locals on the ground.

“In the last 15 years Poland has moved on in certain areas but it has moved backwards in terms of salaries,” says Warsaw-based Irish entrepreneur Michael Kenny. “I believe that prices are rising steadily yet salaries remain terribly low and appear in no great rush to increase. Certain things will remain cheap in Poland, like food, but the chances of earning an Irish salary are zero.”

SWITZERLAND

Finally, Switzerland offers many opportunities for anyone willing to grasp French or German. The agreement on the freedom of movement between Switzerland and the EU entitles Irish citizens to enter the country, stay, and take up employment, although a residence permit is required.

The jobless rate is 4.6 per cent on average, lower in German-speaking cities such as Zurich. Along with Geneva, Zurich has the highest concentration of banks and financial services. Pharma graduates should head to Basel while the tourism and hospitality sectors recruit all over in season. Check out irishbusinessnetwork.ch for local contacts.