Employment in Ireland for people from minority ethnicities and cultures tends to follow two tracks: those who are on critical-skills work permits have opportunities to excel; those who are not struggle to find opportunities, regardless of their qualifications.
“The IT sector is definitely doing well in terms of volume and proportion, with 41 per cent of workers being non-Irish,” says Mary Connaughton, director of CIPD Ireland.” That’s the one we hear the most about.
“The accommodation and food sector has a similar percentage as well. That’s an interesting one given how stuck Ireland has been for chefs and how many students are working in entry-level jobs in that industry. Administration and support service roles outside of the public sector are also up there.”
Sectors with high proportions of diverse labour, aside from those providing critical-skills visas, tend to rely on migrants, says Dr Lucy Michael, a sociologist and consultant on equality and integration.
“At the bottom of the labour market, where jobs are insecure and have low wages, you see a reliance on migrant labour,” she says. “The security sector, for example, often has people overqualified for the jobs they are doing but the sector is reliant on their labour, with few promotion opportunities for people of non-Irish backgrounds,”
“Hospitality, cleaning and health services are also highly reliant on migrants. They often have qualifications that aren’t convertible or experience that isn’t recognised. As a result they aren’t able to access jobs appropriate to their levels of experience.”
Dr Michael says ingrained concepts in recruitment are preventing Irish employers from accessing a wider talent pool.
“The labour market as a whole still prefers people with qualifications and experience developed in Ireland. Employers still put a value on things like having an Irish accent or a professional network already established here, rather than networking skills,” she says.
A study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published last year found woman migrants suffered an effective double penalty. Non-Irish women earned 11 per cent less than non-Irish men, and 30 per cent less than Irish men.
“Woman migrants in particular struggle to stay in the labour market. Even women from other EU countries who are fluent in English find themselves locked out,” Dr Michael says.
“If those with the most convertible situations are struggling to get into the labour market, you can see why those from non-EU backgrounds struggle.”
More work is needed from employers to break the cycle. Jeanne McDonagh, chief executive of the Open Doors Initiative, says employers must recognise the need to adapt their hiring processes.
“Employers need to be willing to recognise transferable skills, and the ability to problem solve and resilience as key benefits in their employees, along with multiple language skills,” she says.
“They also need to recognise prior learning and employment in other countries, even where references may be difficult to obtain, through skills testing. Specific skills training and English classes can make a huge difference, along with cultural training for existing employees and management.”
McDonagh says such training is vital to make a wider range of sectors more appealing to a broader talent pool.
“There can be a lack of experience with cross-cultural employees, particularly in areas such as religious observances and cultural differences, which can lead to misunderstandings,” she says. “This can be addressed with training and information, and by talking to the person themselves when onboarding and the use of buddy systems to help them in their first months.”
There is one sector where the need to change has been openly recognised, with action being taken to address the issue.
“With the public sector, 94 per cent of employees are Irish. The education sector is at a similar level. The Public Appointments Service has done analysis on this because it wants to attract more international employees,” Connaughton says.
Another factor influencing the imbalance is Ireland’s reputation for potential employees from other backgrounds. The Irish IT sector has been able to grow in part because it has worked to attract more people with those skills.
“Skills pressure points are a big factor. As skills are needed and can’t be obtained in the country, more people are brought in from outside,” Connaughton says. “In IT, we have a strong reputation in India for using those skills. With a strong presence of people from India working in that sector in Ireland, it makes more people from India likely to come here to work in IT.”
She suggests employers take a more holistic approach when seeking talent: “Step back and look at recruitment. Think about where you recruit from and what barriers are there. This involves recognising equivalent qualifications from other countries and being willing to help out with visas.
“Also, the internal culture has to be shown to be cross-cultural. Companies need to be prepared to facilitate different groups in their business that they might not have in the past. It’s all about loosening up the avenues into employment.”