Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of ...

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Chapter 2Looking for work in Ireland:The Experiences of Immigrants2. IntroductionIn this Chapter we present the findings of the research in relation to theexperiences of immigrants in seeking work in Ireland. The data used in thissection is drawn from the following sources:• Interviews with peer led migrant organisations working with immigrantsincluding those from the EU, Africa and Asia;• Interviews with Irish NGOs working with immigrants including one whichfocuses on refugees;• Interviews with Local Employment Service (LES) co-ordinators in areaswith significant proportions of immigrants;• Interviews with other organisations providing supports to immigrantsincluding refugees;• Survey results from organisations providing supports to immigrants;• Focus groups with participants drawn from the three targetedcommunities and involving people working and people seeking work.The data presented here, echoes the findings of other studies cited earlier,particularly in relation to problems looking for work. The diversity amongimmigrant groups is also clear, most notably in relation to the fact that somegroups of immigrants encounter a greater level of difficulty than others on thelabour market. In particular, the distinction between EEA immigrants and thosefrom non EEA countries (especially Africans) is evident. The following points, takenfrom the survey of organisations, but echoed throughout the interviews and focusgroups, summarises these differences:• One third believed that it is always difficult for immigrants to find work inIreland;• 100 per cent believed that it is difficult to find work at the right skill orqualification level;• Two thirds believed that it is difficult for immigrants to find work in thepublic sector;26Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of Immigrant Workers in Ireland
• Over two thirds believed that EU citizens experience less difficulty thanother immigrants;• Over half said that black Africans experienced the most difficulty on thelabour market. Other sub-groups of immigrants that were noted toexperience particular difficulty were Muslim women and immigrantswith disabilities;• The most frequently cited reasons for the greater difficulty experiencedby Africans were difficulty in having prior work experience recognized,difficulties with getting qualifications recognized and racism.The discussion in this chapter is presented under the following headings:• Personal Circumstances and Motivation in the Labour Market;• Labour Market Decision Making & Job Search;• Experience of the Recruitment Process;• Experiences of mobility in employment.2.1 Personal circumstances and motivationsThe personal plans and aspirations of immigrants, sometimes referred to asthe mode of orientation, can potentially have a significant bearing on how theyoperate on the labour market and what type of work they want or will accept. Inreality however this tends to be constrained by the financial imperative to findemployment quickly. There is a perception among some service providers thatorientation on the labour market differs between those who intend to makea life in Ireland and who will therefore have career aspirations commensuratewith their skill and qualification level; those who want to upgrade their skillsincluding language skills for a planned return home and who will seek work whichfacilitates this, and those who want to accumulate savings as quickly as possibleand who are likely to accept any job that allows them achieve that aim.Labour market orientation is not totally individualised: it will frequently reflect theaspirations of the family of the worker or workers and if different members of thefamily have different work entitlements, this can have consequences for long termplanning. Some focus group participants, for example, were spouses of peoplewho had been granted work visas, but who themselves did not have entitlementto work. Some Filipino participants referred to their colleagues who had cometo Ireland as nurses but had left for the UK because of the social and financialimplications of their spouses not being allowed to work.Regardless of their orientation, however, most immigrants face a severe financialimperative to find work immediately and consequently have to balance career27
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Page 18 and 19: Unemployment is not the only issue
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public sector employers) as well as
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BibliographyBarrett, A and Y McCart
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O’Connell, P and F McGinnity (200
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Public Appointments ServiceChapter
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