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Demography and Migration
The role of demographic factors in economic and social developments has always been a key aspect of ESRI research.

The ESRI’s recent work on Irish demography, supported by the Family Support Agency, has examined the driving forces behind changes in family structures and patterns of fertility. Using Census microdata, we have explored the following research questions:
  • How have family structures changed in recent decades?
  • Does the likelihood of family formation differ between social groups?
  • What determines whether people cohabit or marry?
  • Who is at greatest risk of lone parenthood and marital breakdown? 
  • What underlies Ireland’s unique pattern of fertility?
Looking ahead, population ageing will be an emerging feature of Ireland’s economy and society and so this will become an increasingly important element of ESRI research. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a large-scale survey of people aged over 50 and living in Ireland. It will provide an enormously useful research resource and the ESRI will play a key role in exploiting it.

In recent years there has also been a strong focus on immigration. Given the large inflows of immigrants into Ireland over the last decade, research has addressed:   
  • The impact of immigrants on economic growth, average earnings and the distribution of earnings.
  • The earnings of immigrants relative to Irish employees.
  • The occupational attainment of immigrants.
  • Social and economic integration of migrants.
The ESRI also conducts work on migration as part of the activities of the Irish National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN),  a network which is funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Home Affairs.  The EMN was established on a permanent legal base in May 2008 and the ESRI has acted as Irish National Contact Point since 2003. The Irish National Contact Point of the EMN is co-funded by the European Commission and the Department for Justice and Equality. The ESRI also continues to be responsible for the Irish reports to SOPEMI, the OECD Continuous Reporting System on Migration; these reports have been produced on an annual basis since 1994.

Work on migration has also been conducted within other Programme Areas. For example, the issue of the schools and their experiences in catering for a large immigrant inflow was analysed in a report, Adapting to Diversity, published as part of the ESRI Research Series and conducted by researchers in the Education Programme.   

Programme Coordinator: Philip O'Connell