Immigration Policy and the Skills of Irish Immigrants: Evidence and Implications

Journal of the Social and Statistical Enquiry Society of Ireland, 2005

Posted: 20 Jun 2005

See all articles by Chris Minns

Chris Minns

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Economic History; Trinity College (Dublin) - Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS)

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Abstract

The rise of immigration into Ireland has been accompanied by a debate on the potential objectives of immigration policy. This paper beings with a survey of international and historical evidence on the economics of immigration policy. To place Irish immigration in the international context, a recent OECD data set is used to compare the education of Irish immigrants to their counterparts in other European economies. The data suggest that Ireland's immigrant population is remarkably skilled. Immigrants of EU origin are positively self-selected. From outside the EU, some countries supply mainly skilled immigrants, while others are sources of less-skilled workers. These findings are used as a backdrop to explore three major issues in Irish immigration: the likely impact of EU accession of new member states, the appropriateness of current immigration policy, and the relationship between current immigration and future population flows.

Keywords: Ireland, immigration, immigration policy

JEL Classification: J61, J68

Suggested Citation

Minns, Chris, Immigration Policy and the Skills of Irish Immigrants: Evidence and Implications. Journal of the Social and Statistical Enquiry Society of Ireland, 2005, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=742307

Chris Minns (Contact Author)

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Economic History ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Trinity College (Dublin) - Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) ( email )

The Sutherland Centre, Level 6, Arts Building
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland

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