Freedom of Movement for Workers from Central and Eastern Europe: Experiences in Ireland and Sweden

May 26, 2006

News

26/05/2006

 

Freedom of Movement for Workers from Central and Eastern Europe: Experiences in Ireland and Sweden

EMBARGO: 1:00 a.m. Friday 26 May

By Nicola Doyle, Gerard Hughes and Eskil Wadensjö. On the 1st of May 2004 ten countries joined the European Union. Only three countries, Ireland, the UK and Sweden opened their labour markets to citizens from these Accession (EU10) states. This report examines the impact of the Eastern European enlargement on the labour market in Sweden and Ireland. The report was funded by the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS) and written by researchers from the Economic and Social Research Institute, the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University and SIEPS. Key points in relation to the Irish experience:

 

  • Immigration reached a record high in the post-enlargement year (53,400). Forty per cent of the migrants came from the Accession States.
  • The majority of the EU10 migrants who came to Ireland in 2005 were Polish.
  • Lithuanians and Latvians have the highest propensities to migrate to Ireland.
  • There was a significant increase in the number of Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSNs) issued to EU10 nationals in the post-enlargement period. 186,000 PPSNs were issued from May 2004 to February 2006. This compares with 35,000 from January 2001 to April 2004.
  • 55 per cent of the PPSN issued from May 2004 to February 2006 were issued to Polish nationals.
  • EU10 nationals have a 90 per cent labour force participation rate. This compares with 62 per cent for Irish nationals.
  • Employment of EU10 nationals tripled in the post-enlargement period.
  • EU10 workers are largely concentrated in the construction, industrial and hospitality sectors.
  • The unemployment rate of EU10 nationals is 2.6 per cent.
  • There is no evidence of displacement of Irish workers at a macro level.