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

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It is reasonable to assume that in the context of a contracting labour market andnet migratory outflow, at least some of the issues raised in this report will notfeature as priorities in ongoing labour market policy and debate, at least in theshort-term – this probability was commented on by some of those interviewedover the course of the research. On the other hand, issues such as the recruitmentof ‘agency workers’ have already emerged in the national debate and are likely tofeature into the future (thirty per cent of the employers surveyed for this researchsaid that they use agency workers). While the debate concerning the use ofnon Irish agency workers is likely to predominantly focus on the displacementof Irish workers, it is worth noting that the agency workers themselves andthe communities into which they are placed will face challenges of integrationand that the agency worker approach can result in a lack of opportunity foradvancement for the immigrants themselves as they are employed by the agencyand not the company they work in and consequently they may not have the sameentitlement to apply for other and better jobs within the same company.However, and notwithstanding current economic and labour market difficulties,it is evident that immigration will continue to be a significant feature 9 of themodern world and the global economy. Within this context and as an essentialand critical part of economic recovery, Ireland will need to attract foreign workers.Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy (EGFSN, 2007), identifiesIreland’s current skills profile and provides a strategic vision and specific objectivesfor Ireland’s future skills requirements. The report projects that the labour forcewill have grown to about 2.4 million by 2020. Of the projected 950,000 newentrants to the Irish labour market over the period 2006 to 2020, the reportsuggests that 640,000 will be sourced through the school-leaving population and310,000 will be sourced through inward migration (an average of almost 21,000per annum over the period). Allowing for the now evident inaccuracy of theprojections in terms of the current context and the short to medium term outlook,the general thrust of part of the report’s contention that Ireland’s economicdevelopment will rely heavily on inward migration, remains true.In that regard a representative of IBEC consulted as part of the research said thatIreland needed to take a longer-term view on attracting people to work here andthat includes, for example, the identification of the skills we need in the Irisheconomy to achieve sustainable, high-end enterprise over the medium to longerterm; and, the development of our social and economic infrastructure (includingthe quality of childcare, civic services, education and so on) such that Ireland isseen as an attractive place in which to live and work.9 “Pressure for migration – legal and illegal – is an unavoidable feature of the emerging worldorder to which all societies and states must respond” (NESC, ibid)72Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of Immigrant Workers in Ireland
The challenge of attracting immigrant workers over the longer term is likely tobecome increasingly difficult as states and individual employers begin to viewith each other to attract foreign workers and skilled workers in particular – thisinevitability is exacerbated by the ageing of the workforce in all states of theEuropean Union. Even now and in the context of a deteriorating labour market,employers are experiencing difficulties in recruiting adequately skilled peoplein particular sectors. Speaking at Ernst & Young’s Irish Employment Permit andImmigration briefing on 11 th September 2008, Jim Ryan (Partner), Human CapitalPractice from Ernst & Young said:“Despite the economic downturn and the impact this has had on the constructionsector there is still a critical shortage of highly skilled talent within the locallabour market in certain sectors (e.g., information technology, financial servicesand in particular healthcare). The changing economic environment means thatthe Government needs to adapt its current economic migration policy. It is vitalthat Ireland maintains its competitive advantage in not only attracting overseasinvestment but protecting the existing investment in Ireland while at the sametime protecting the local labour market.”The conditions under which migrant workers are working abroad are also ofconcern to their country of origin in certain instances. For example, India iscurrently set to sign a series of social security agreements (e.g., with Germany,the Netherlands, Oman and Bahrain) designed to secure a better deal for Indiannationals working abroad 10 (Metro Éireann, Vol 9, Issue 49).4.4 Key Issues for ConsiderationThe findings of our research suggest a number of key issues that need to beconsidered in ensuring the capacity of the Irish labour market to attract andretain immigrant workers. Some of these issues relate to the policy context,others to the provision of labour market services. The role of English languagecompetence in underpinning labour market wellbeing is relevant here as is theprovision of more labour market supports to immigrant workers in relation toissues such as information, assistance with job application (including thepresentation of CVs) and assistance with interview techniques. The scope toresource peer-led immigrant groups to play a role in both supporting immigrantjob seekers and in providing relevant information to employers could also beexplored. In addition, the problem of labour market segmentation and the lack ofresearch into the longer-term integration of immigrants into the workforce andtheir advancement in employment needs to be addressed.10 It is estimated that 25 million Indians live overseas spread across more than 110 countries.73
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2Issues and Challenges in the Recru
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Chapter 1Exploring the Recruitment
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persecution. Economic migrants enco
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• The third group is the so-calle
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• Green Cards, which have replace
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Employment Services (LES) although
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Unemployment is not the only issue
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Overall, both official statistics a
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Page 56 and 57: Innovation in the use of testsIrish
Page 58 and 59: 3.2.7 VettingThe vetting of candida
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Page 62 and 63: Chapter 4Conclusions and Discussion
Page 64 and 65: of recruitment should be more integ
Page 66 and 67: Table 4.1:Divergent views of Employ
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Page 74 and 75: Of more specific relevance to the c
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Page 78 and 79: BibliographyBarrett, A and Y McCart
Page 80: O’Connell, P and F McGinnity (200
Page 84: Public Appointments ServiceChapter
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