The experiences of immigrants working in the irish labour market

Abstract

This research explores how immigrants from European and non-European countries experience the labour market in Ireland and how their individual experiences compare. A gap in the research knowledge was identified before this research was conducted. There is little existing qualitative research available comparing the different challenges and barriers faced by European and nonEuropean immigrants in accessing the labour market in Ireland. A qualitative research design was the method chosen for this study and data was collected through in-depth interviews with four immigrants living and working full time in Ireland. The participants in this study were made up of two males and two females ranging in age between 24- 30 years of age. The two females emigrated to Ireland from Venezuela while the males were from Croatia and France. The findings indicated that as non-European immigrants the Venezuelan immigrants faced more challenges and barriers accessing employment in the Irish labour market than their European counterparts. Career progression was also compromised due to visa restrictions which also influenced the susceptibility of exploitation for non-European immigrants in the labour market. Access to education was also much more expensive to access for the Non-European females