The Impact Of Ireland?s Recession On The Labour Market Outcomes Of Its Immigrants

In the mid 2000s Ireland experienced a large inflow of immigrants, partly in response to strong economic growth but also in response to its decision to allow full access to its labor market when EU expansion occurred in May 2004. Between 2004 and 2007, the proportion of non-nationals living in Ireland almost doubled, increasing from 7.7 to 13.1 percent. Between 2008 and 2009, Ireland experienced one of the most acute downturns in economic activity in the industrialized world, with a cumulative fall in Gross National Product of close to 14 percent. In this paper, the authors assess how this downturn has impacted upon the employment outcomes of no nationals relative to natives.