Immigration to Irish Society - Coursework Example

What Difference has Immigration made to Irish Society, North and South? Introduction The economic boom experienced in Ireland towards the late 90s transformed both North and South Ireland to an immigration destination. The long-term factors that contributed to the economic growth included the systematic removal of barriers to foreign trade and attracting FDI (foreign direct investment). In addition, free secondary education and joining the European community also improved the economic prospects of the Irish society thus increasing the rate of immigration to Ireland. Due to the economic growth experienced in the late 90s, immigration to both North and South Ireland was also influenced by the demand of human capital with specialised skills because of a focus on a knowledge-based economy. As a result of the economic boom, employment opportunities also increased, and immigrants played an important role in terms of minimising labour shortages (Loyal, 2007). Most immigrants moving to abroad are often influenced by the need to improve their living standards. This is because of the deplorable conditions in their home countries where there is a lack of employment opportunities, and poverty levels are high. As such, migrating to developed countries provides immigrants with an opportunity to improve the economic status of their families back home, for example. Immigration to other countries including the North and South Ireland is also influenced by the political instability in the home country. In this regard, individuals move to the host countries to seek, for instance, political asylum. However, an increased immigration tends to create numerous challenges for the policy makers in the host countries. This includes, for example, dealing with social issues that emanate from an increase in the population, and, in particular, foreign internationals (Loyal, 2007). This paper explores the difference that immigration has made to the Irish society, both North and South. The impact of immigration on North Ireland According to NISRA, over a hundred thousand immigrants are estimated to have moved to Northern Ireland between the periods 2000 to 2010 (Gilmartin, 2012). Consequently, the arrival of foreign internationals to Northern Ireland has had an impact on public services that include, for instance, health and social housing. On the other hand, school enrolments have also increased since 2010 due to the increased population of immigrants. While there is growing pressure on public services, the arrival of foreign internationals into Northern Ireland has also contributed positively to economic growth. For example, immigration to North Ireland has contributed to employment opportunities and thus more tax revenue to improve public services (Gilmartin, 2012). In addition, Northern Ireland has also benefited from immigration in terms of an improved health service that relies on the skills and experience of highly skilled immigrants from India and Philippines, for instance (Gilligan, 2008). Further, Northern Ireland has also benefited in terms of cultural diversity that is enhanced by immigrants from different parts of the world such as Poland and East Timor, for example. While the major driving force for foreign internationals to leave their home country is to improve their living standards, the immigrants also introduce their traditions, food and language to the host country (Cairns et al. 2013). A decade ago, Northern Ireland was relatively conservative; however, in the present day, it has transformed into a culturally diverse society (Hayward et al. 2014). With regard to the impact of immigration on the host community in the Northern Ireland, the population of foreign internationals continues to surge and this impact significantly on various public services accessed by the host community. Other challenges that arise as a result of the increased immigration to Northern Ireland include issues concerning social attitudes and social cohesion (Montague &Shirlow, 2014). On another note, the increase of immigrants in Northern Ireland has also contributed to the rise in birth rate in the past decade. As a result, there is more pressure on maternity services in Northern Ireland, and this pose challenges for the policy makers (Hayward, 2013). Due to the demographic changes in Northern Ireland, policy makers are left in a dilemma of meeting the growing demand for health care resources, for instance. Conversely, an increase in the population due to the continued arrival of foreign international, there is also pressure on social housing in Northern Ireland. This is not a challenge for the Northern Ireland only, but also other regions such as the UK, where there is a surge of foreign internationals (Cairns, 2014). Due to the increase of immigrants in Northern Ireland, rental costs have also increased making it difficult for both the host community and foreigners to afford a decent accommodation in the private rental sector. As a result, there is an increased pressure on housing due to the rise in the number of tenants applying for social housing. Concerning social attitude towards the immigrants in Northern Ireland, a significant percentage of the host community feels that the increased population of foreign internationals is causing strain on the public schools (Jarman, 2009). On the other hand, others associate the shortage for local housing to the increased population of immigrants. On a positive note, part of the local population believes that the immigrants contribute significantly to Northern Ireland’s economic growth. However, there is ambivalent feeling with regard to employment opportunity in the job market. This is because; it appears that, more positions in the job market are taken by foreign internationals at the expense of the local people (Jarman & Byrne, 2007). With regard to other social issues, the immigration to Northern Ireland is directly associated with racist incidents and crimes. However, racist incidents and crimes appear to be on the decline presently. This is due to the integration of the foreign internationals into the local community (Connolly & Khaoury, 2008). While the future trends of immigration are difficult to predict, contributory factors such as economic growth and immigration policies will still play a determinant role in driving foreign internationals to leave the home country for a better life abroad. While there are no official forecast from NISRA, for example, with regard to the future trend of immigrant population in Northern Ireland, the population is projected to continue rising from 1.823 million at present to approximately 1.919 million by 2012 (Gilmartin, 2012). In essence, while immigration has placed pressure on public services, the difference that foreign internationals have brought to Northern Ireland is also significant in terms of fast tracking economic development and matches other advanced countries within the European Union (McGarry et al. 2008). The impact of immigration on South Ireland Similar to the North, the South of Ireland has also witnessed an increase of foreign internationals due to the economic boom in the past decade. Prior to the 1990s economic boom, South Ireland experienced a significant population outflows; however, net inflow increased due to the attractive economic conditions during the “Celtic Tiger” period. In addition, immigration to the South also increased in the early 2000s because of the government policy that allowed full access to the South’s labour market (Loyal, 2003). The increased immigration of foreign internationals to Southern Ireland is mostly driven by economic reasons. On the other hand, immigrant workers are increasingly becoming important to the EU economy due to the continued decline of Europe’s population. The non-Irish workers in the South are mostly concentrated in Dublin, and they work in hotels, retail, health and the manufacturing sector. Conversely, immigrants in the South with specialised skills mostly work as University lectures, medical practitioners and software engineers (Mac Einri, 2007). Due to the emigration outflows from Ireland in the past, the local population remained culturally and ethnically homogeneous (Pehrson et al. 2012). However, due to the increased immigration over the past decade, multiculturalism is becoming a feature of Irish life. Most of the immigrants in the South come from Eastern Europe, but there are also other foreign internationals from other parts of the world. Because of the increased immigration, there are also challenges such as pressure on public services and, in particular, housing and health care (Barrett et al. 2006). Incidents of racism and crime rate are also a concern for the responsible authorities in the South. While immigrants are in a position to improve their economic status, their integration into the host country is still elusive. However, policy makers in the South have introduced a variety of measures to help integrate immigrants into the Irish society, for example, Equal Status Act 2000. In addition, the South has developed a national action plan that targets racism in terms of creating the foundations for a more inclusive and intercultural society (Putnam, 2007). Other than the pressure on public services resulting from an increased immigration, the attitude of the locals towards foreign workers also raises concerns. In development countries, most of the immigrants come from poor countries and their main intention abroad is to work and send money back home. This is the trend of immigrants in the U.S or UK, for instance; however, problems arise when employers prefer immigrants’ workers over the local community. This is because, immigrants are paid lower wages compared to the locals and employers consider it cost-effective to exploit cheap labour. The incidents of xenophobia in other countries, for instance, have arisen due to a growing concern over the increased number of immigrants workers (Lentin & McVeigh, 2007). In the South, there is a growing concern to minimise the number of immigrant workers. This is due to the increase in unemployment since the economic recession in 2008 that impacted negatively on the job market (Lunn, 2012). On the other hand, the cost of living in the South is also high due to the increase in the population of foreign international. In the major towns located in the South, the consumer spending is relatively high because of the better pay for immigrant professionals. Consequently, the rental costs in the private rental sector are high, and this contributes to overcrowding in areas with affordable accommodation. On another note, the increase of immigrants without legal documents is also posing a challenge for policy makers in terms of implementing stringent measures to reduce illegal immigration to the South by foreign internationals (Barrett et al. 2006). While increased immigration brings numerous challenges to the host country, immigrants also contribute significantly to the economic development of the host country. For example, immigrants in the South provide the needed human capital to drive the economy. In addition, the revenue derived from the tax levied on immigrant workers wages is used by the government for developmental purposes that serve the locals (Barrett et al. 2006). Similarities and differences regarding the impact of immigration on the North and South Ireland In both North and South Ireland, emigrant outflow was high prior to the late 1990s, but inward inflow increased during the economic boom. In both parts of Ireland, the majority of the immigrants are from the EU member states, and their move to Ireland is driven by the need to seek better employment opportunities. In both North and South, the increased immigration since the late 90s has helped to propel economic growth. In essence, the immigrants have provided the needed human capital to help expand the economy of both the North and South Ireland (Loyal, 2007). The income tax from immigrant wages has also helped to improve the public services provided to the locals. Further, the immigrants in both parts of Ireland have also contributed to the establishment of a culturally diverse society. Immigrants in both North and South have also brought FDI to Ireland through investing in various sectors of the Irish economy (Barrett et al. 2006). However, while there are benefits that immigrants bring to the North and South Ireland, there also challenges associated with the increased immigration. For instance, the increased population of immigrants in both North and South causes strain on the public services. Such services include, for example, health care, social housing and school enrolment. In addition, the increased number of foreign internationals has also led to incidents of racism and crime. However, the governments in the North and South have introduced measures geared at integrating immigrants into the Irish society (Mann-Kler, 2002). Conclusion Immigration has brought significant changes to the Irish society both North and South considering that prior to the economic boom, the two parts of Ireland experienced an outflow of emigrants to other countries such as the U.S., for example. However, immigrants have helped to expand the economies of both the North and South Ireland. In essence, the human capital provided by the immigrants has helped to fast-track infrastructure development and the expansion of both knowledge-based and service industry in Ireland. 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