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Polish exodus from Inishowen
09.12.08
POLISH workers are
leaving Inishowen as the recession deepens and their
own economy becomes one of the fastest growing in
Europe.
Anecdotal figures from the Inishowen Development
Partnership (IDP) Immigrant Integration division
show that the peninsula's Polish community has
fallen in number from around 500 to 350 in recent
months.
And the trend is set to continue, according to IDP
immigrant integration development worker Kasia
Wojtach.
"The people who are leaving are mainly single men
and women who don't have any ties to Inishowen such
as families. They are either going back to Poland or
going further down the country to places such as
Dublin, Cork or Limerick." |
Polish people account
for the largest number of immigrant workers who came
to Inishowen during the boom years. Around 100
Lithuanian, Latvian and Hungarian people made up the
remainder.
Ms Wojtach said among the main reasons for the
ongoing departure of immigrant men is the severe
downturn in the local construction industry while
among the women, it is the slowing of hotel work and
jobs in the domestic field.
"Some Inishowen women who may have hired a Polish
housekeeper or cleaner during the good times are now
doing |
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the work themselves
because they or their husband may have lost their
job and they cannot afford to hire help," said Kasia.
Meanwhile, Martin Hirrell of Shoe Repairs in
Buncrana says he has also noticed a big downturn in
the number of immigrant workers coming into his
shop.
"I sell some construction gear such as work boots.
The Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian men were good
customers. They would come in on Saturday and buy a
couple of pairs of boots but I've noticed a big
drop-off now that the construction industry is
down," he said. The Inishowen trend coincides with a
new report out yesterday from recruitment firm CPL
showing that a third of Polish workers in Ireland
may return home over the next year.
In a survey of more than 500 Polish workers, a third
said they were planning to leave Ireland within the
year with a further 13 per cent saying they would
leave within two years. Money and the cost of living
were the main reasons for leaving, the survey found.
Meanwhile, of the some 350 Polish still residing in
Inishowen, a percentage are now claiming social
welfare while others have managed to retain their
jobs, says Kasia Wojtach. She says a small number of
Polish continue to arrive, such as the wives and
children of men who still retain employment here and
want their family to be together. Meanwhile, Ms
Wojtach, in association with the IDP Job Club, hopes
next year to organise another job-seeking session
for immigrants in Inishowen. |
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