Workers with no English earning less, says report

Non-English speaking migrant workers are earning half to two-thirds of the income they would be earning if they were Irish-born workers of the same age, educational qualifications and work experience, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

A report to be presented today to the annual conference of the Dublin Economic Workshop, being held in Kenmare, Co Kerry, has found that English-speaking migrant workers from the UK, the US and Australia are earning the same levels of income as Irish workers with the same qualifications.

However, non-English speaking migrant workers from the EU accession states are earning, on average, 45 per cent less than comparable Irish-born workers. Non-English-speaking migrant workers from the original EU 13 (excluding Ireland and the UK) are earning 33 per cent less than they would be if they were Irish-born with the same qualifications and experience.

The ESRI study does not suggest that Irish-born and foreign-born workers are earning different rates in the same jobs, but that foreign-born workers are not getting the jobs they would get if they had been born in Ireland.

There are several possible explanations for this, according to Alan Barrett, author with Yvonne McCarthy of An Analysis of Immigrant Earnings an Welfare Usage in Ireland. One is that migrant workers, like young Irish workers entering the workforce for the first time, have to go through a period of acclimatising to a new work environment before they can achieve their potential, Mr Barrett said.

Another theory is that migrant workers are not being promoted as readily as Irish workers of the same age, educational experience and years of employment. The possibility that non-English-speaking EU migrant workers are being discriminated against cannot be ruled out until further research is done, he said. Dedicated Government funding for further research in to why migrant workers are not earning equally is required, Mr Barrett added.