Sir, - I am Irish citizen on secondment in Johannesburg for two years. I have observed in horror the Irish Government advertising a jobs fair (to be held in Johannesburg and Cape Town) to attract skilled labour.
South Africa is still in the process of emerging from its turbulent past and is undergoing large structural reform. It has an abundance of unskilled labour, but is experiencing a skills shortage probably far greater than our own.
I realise that uncertainty about the future development of South Africa has led many people to emigrate, but I am outraged that my Government is exacerbating the situation through targeting this country and other similar emerging/developing countries which are in desperate need of their own skilled workforce in order to forge ahead. Shame on us. - Yours, etc.,
Aisling Smith, Johannesburg, South Africa.