DUBLIN IS perceived as “an attractive and welcoming city” by migrants, according to a new report by the British Council that examined the openness of a number of cities worldwide.
The report said a “traditionally warm and welcoming culture is supported by excellent entertainment and sporting opportunities which, combined with the city’s strong historical and cultural identity, render Dublin an attractive and liveable city” for internationally mobile labour.
It said Dublin’s policymakers had recognised early it was in competition with other international knowledge hubs in areas like IT, bioscience and financial services.
“The main change evident in recent years has been a move away from the accidental embracing of openness and international populations to a more planned and deliberate commitment by city leaders to developing actions designed to open the city and its economy to the world,” it said.
The report said Dublin had emerged as a vibrant European city- region hosting high-value-added financial and professional services, knowledge and retail sectors.
“It has established itself as a world leader in software development, and, despite the economic recession, Dublin’s consistently high productivity levels are ensuring it remains competitive regionally and capable of attracting inward investment.”
The report was drawn up for the Open Cities project, which includes partners such as the European Commission and city governments. The project aims to develop a greater understanding of how cities can benefit from international population flows.
On the negative side, it said the surge in development associated with sustained economic growth had “eroded the quality of the natural environment and created unsustainable commuting patterns, which put strains on public infrastructure”.
And outside the knowledge sectors, Dublin’s workforce was “comparatively under-skilled and may lack the versatility to adapt to new economic imperatives”.
Economic attractiveness was also threatened by the high cost of living and rising business costs, while Dublin’s high levels of persistent poverty and social exclusion threatened sustainable economic development.
The report said Dublin’s future lay in the development of creative and knowledge businesses.
Matt Burney, director of the British Council in Ireland, said the threat posed by the recession was that progress made by Dublin in recent times might be reversed.
He said the report showed how Dublin and other international cities could use the global recession to their advantage to move towards a more stable future.
“Ironically, the recession can actually create new opportunities for cities . . . In Dublin, we have seen initiatives such as the Lord Mayor’s commission on employment and Gateway Ireland, which are aimed at proactively responding to the challenges posed by recession by developing job creation and investment opportunity strategies.”
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
