THE NUMBER of foreign nationals on the Live Register of unemployment benefit claimants has gone into reverse, indicating that the ongoing turbulence in the economy is prompting foreign workers to leave the State.
There was a slight decrease in the number of foreign nationals signing on in July, according to the latest breakdown of the Live Register data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Some 159 fewer foreign nationals claimed unemployment benefits in July compared to June, taking the total of foreign nationals on the unadjusted Live Register down 0.2 per cent to 80,786. The number of Irish unemployment claimants increased 5.1 per cent to 354,949.
Between September 2008 (when the CSO began issuing a more detailed breakdown of Live Register data) and March 2009, the rate of increase in the number of claimants was higher for foreign nationals than it was for Irish nationals. This reflected the tendency for recent arrivals to be employed in the construction sector.
However, since April, the rate of increase in Irish unemployment benefit claimants has outpaced that of foreign nationals, which may suggest that people out of work are returning to their home countries or moving on to more buoyant economies.
The last Quarterly National Household Survey from the CSO showed that the number of foreign nationals in the State fell by 20,800 between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of this year.
As the total of foreign nationals who left the workforce exceeded this number, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has suggested that many migrants who came to Ireland are staying because they expect to find further employment or have put down roots here.
However, economists forecast that net migration will rise sharply during 2009, with the ESRI predicting that 40,000 people will leave the State in 2010.
According to detailed Live Register data published yesterday, the west of Ireland was the region that saw the highest monthly increase in unemployment benefit claimants in the month of July, with a 4.6 per cent increase.
The percentage increase in claimants in the west region was the highest for the second month in a row.
Nationally, the monthly increase in claimants on the unadjusted Live Register was 4.1 per cent last month compared to June.
All regions saw some increase in Jobseeker’s Benefit and Allowance claimants during July.
