Dublin: A new ESRI report reveals that foreign-born residents in Ireland are more likely to be employed, active in the labour market, and highly educated compared to Irish-born citizens. However, migrants face greater financial hardships, with higher poverty rates (14.5%) than Irish-born residents (11%) and greater housing cost burdens—37% spend over 30% of their income on housing, compared to 9% of Irish-born residents.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Justice, shows that migrant employment rates have remained consistently high since 2022, recovering from pandemic-related declines. Tertiary education levels are also higher among migrants (59% vs. 42% for Irish-born), though disparities exist based on country of origin.
While self-employment rates remain lower for migrants overall (8.4% vs. 10.3% for Irish-born), those from the UK, North America, Australia, and Oceania exceed the Irish-born rate. Political participation is also rising, with twice as many migrants running and winning seats in the 2024 local elections, though representation remains low at 2.2%.
Co-author Evan Carron-Kee acknowledged positive trends in African employment rates and citizenship processing improvements but emphasised ongoing challenges: income inequality, housing affordability, and poverty. He urged policy interventions to address these pressing issues.
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