Unemployment drives up Irish emigration rate

The emigration rate among Irish nationals has surged by almost 50 per cent since last year as the country struggles to emerge from a financial collapse – but a baby boom has kept the population broadly stable.

The financial crisis has forced many Irish people, particularly young graduates, to follow past generations in seeking work overseas to escape an unemployment rate of over 14 per cent, the third highest in the eurozone.

Emigration by Irish nationals surged to 40,200 in the year to last April from 27,700 in the previous corresponding period, an increase of 45 per cent, new official data revealed.

When immigration is taken into account, the country lost a net 23,100 of its nationals, up by more than half from an outflow of 14,400 last year.

Total emigration, including non-Irish nationals, was 76,400, up 17 per cent on a year ago.

A jump in Ireland’s birth rate, which is the highest in the European Union, at more than two children per woman, balanced the outflow and the total population increased slightly to 4.48 million from 4.47m last year.

The government this year expects Ireland to post its first year of economic growth since 2007.