1,100 register interest in relocating to west for work, says commission

More than 1,100 people have registered an interest in relocating to the west of Ireland to work, and almost two-thirds of them are aged under-35, the Western Development Commission said yesterday.

Last April the commission launched an advertising campaign to draw attention to existing vacancies in the west, and to build a skills register of those who express an interest in relocating.

The commission attributed the high percentage of "well-educated young people" who wanted to move to the higher quality of life in the seven western counties including Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare.

Commenting on the survey, Lisa McAllister, chief executive officer of the commission, said Ireland's future success would be determined by the country's ability to become a knowledge-based society.

"A young, educated workforce is crucial for that to happen. The number of under-35s who want to move west is truly heartening."

She attributed the interest in the region to the quality of life mix that the western region can offer.

"These people who have registered their wish to move, mainly from the east, put the west in a strong position to attract inward investment into its key towns and cities," she maintained.

The commission also embarked yesterday on the second phase of its advertising campaign, using the results of its survey to attract investment in infrastructure from the Government and inward investment from global businesses in the knowledge economy.

According to Ms McAllister, highly educated people are interested in moving west - 77 per cent of those registering have a third-level qualification and 36 per cent have a postgraduate qualification.

"The move west is also seen as a positive career choice, with the vast majority of respondents already working in leading industries."

She said 21 per cent of those who registered are working in finance; 17 per cent in the IT sector and 14 per cent in the services sector. More than a third of those who want to head west have more than 10 years' work experience.

The move west website is located at www.lookwest.ie