IN THE past, Irish citizens have taken a pragmatic approach to downturns: they leave the country.

This time, things aren't so simple. "This is a global recession," says Ken Harbourne, country manager of Robert Half Ireland, which recruits for the financial services and accounting sectors. There's no single country crying out for staff, he says.

Michael McDonnell concurs. He's the head of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the professional body for HR directors and managers.

"One of the unique features of this downturn is that it is universal across the developed economies of the world," he says.

"In the '80s and early 1990s there were significant employment opportunities in the States, in Australia, even in the UK. Now those economies are experiencing difficulties and that same buoyancy is not there. It's putting a dampener on the mass exodus of talent from Ireland," he says.

A Robert Half financial directions survey in October found that 40 per cent of Irish workers were willing to work overseas - the highest figure in Europe. Ireland had the highest percentage of respondents with perceived job insecurity - 62 per cent.

This doesn't quite match the reality of available work, according to Robert Half's Ken Harbourne. There's always work in Dubai, he says, and in the offshore islands - the tax havens like Bermuda, the Caymans, Jersey and Guernsey.

The UK and the US needs qualified accountants, but Irish journeymen with vast dreams and fairly general experience might want to rethink expectations of picking up an easy job in their ideal countries - the survey identified where respondents would ideally like to work - Canada, US and Australia, citing better quality of life and better weather as the principal reasons for considering a move, rather than increased earning potential.

"They need specialists. Somebody who doesn't have a speciality literally has no chance of getting a position anywhere that requires a visa because there are already 100 local guys at the door," says Mr Harbourne.

"Really, they need to fight it out here. Here is as good as anywhere.

"Personally, I think we'll have at least six months of really tough times, and when the six months or so is up we'll see a brighter end to the year."

Shay Dalton, the managing director of Lincoln Search and Selection, says that Irish-owned firms are still recruiting for overseas jobs.

"Irish companies with operations overseas always have a preference for Irish in senior management teams, where some, if not all, of the team are Irish people," he says.

Things were so good in Ireland for the last seven or eight years that it was very difficult to convince workers to take an international job.

"That has changed," says Mr Dalton. "Now we have people thinking it might be more advantageous to go overseas. We've had people go to Australia, the US, the Caribbean, Libya, Saudi Arabia."

Maireád Fleming, from Brightwater, agrees that one recent trend has been the increased flexibility of staff.

"What we have seen is people more willing to relocate than they would have been," she says, even if that means they're happy to move further afield than Dublin 24, but perhaps not all the way to Dubai.

"They're a lot more flexible, and much more realistic," she says. "People want to work for companies that are secure."

Frank Collins, the head of industry body the National Recruitment Federation, says an '80s-style mass exodus is unlikely.

"I don't think we've yet got to the stage where everyone is emigrating, like when I left college. We do have skilled non-Irish nationals who are moving home, and that's causing difficulties.

"Irish people are willing to take the jobs they were not willing to take two years ago. Back then they weren't taking the jobs because they were upskilling, and now I wouldn't quite say that they were desperate, but they're certainly open to other options."

Michael McDonnell says that some recruitment firms are positioning themselves in Europe to take advantage of the recovery.

"There's one thing that's certain about the current recession - it will pass. The only thing is, when?

"You're finding the more progressive recruitment firms in Ireland either opening offices abroad or forming strategic alliances with external recruitment firms," says Mr McDonnell.

"CPL (Resources) has opened offices in Poland, and that step has been reflected in the company's share price. There's approval of Irish recruitment firms looking at taking expertise to the international market. That's going to accelerate.

"These companies will work in the local markets, and they're targeting those people who have come from places like eastern Europe to work in Ireland and Britain. And I think they will then act as a conduit for Irish executives and people who may want to move to other markets and other countries in due course," he adds.