Seven out of 10 Young People in Ireland Considering Move Abroad
Seven out of 10 people between the ages of 18 and 24 are considering emigration in the pursuit of a better quality of life, according to a statement issued today by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI).
The NYCI is calling on the Irish Government, as part of a pre-Budget submission, not to overlook the young people of Ireland, when it delivers its Budget for 2023 on September 27th.
Research carried out by Red C on behalf of the NYCI showed that amongst those surveyed aged 18-24, eight in 10 said that they are fearful for the future and one in two reported worse mental health in the context of the rising cost-of-living; more than four in 10 responded that they are not as happy as they were six months ago; almost one in two said they are struggling to make ends meet; and more than one in four said their experience with housing in the past six months is worse.
NYCI, the representative body for voluntary youth organisations in Ireland, is expressing concern at the findings of the survey which shows the severe impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on young people in Ireland and is calling for action from the Government to prevent young people from moving abroad.
Commenting on the findings of the research, Paul Gordon, Director of Policy and Advocacy, National Youth Council of Ireland, said, ‘There is a real fear from young people about what the future holds for them. Many say they’re struggling to make ends meet and quality-of-life considerations are driving them to consider a future outside of Ireland. Government must act to ensure young people aren’t overlooked in this crisis.’
As part of its pre-Budget submission, NYCI is calling on the Government to:
- Reduce registration fees for those in college, higher education, or on apprenticeships
- Raise the national minimum wage for under-20s to the same level as over-20s
- Bring the rate of Jobseekers’ Allowance for under-25s in line with that of those over 25
- Extend the Young Adult travel card to more young people
- Increase government investment in youth work services in local communities.
With a growing population and a scarcity of housing, Ireland has been in the grip of a housing crisis for a number of years making home ownership a pipedream for many young people. The rental market is also suffering a crisis, further fuelling the fears of young people, many left with no choice but to remain living in their family homes well into their twenties and beyond.
The property website Daft.ie released its Irish Rental Report for Q2, 2022 last month which revealed that in August 2009, there were 8,000 properties available for rent in Dublin, in August 2022 there were less than 300. In addition, the cost of rent has increased by 12.6% in one year with the average cost of rent nationally reaching €1,618 with that figure soaring to an average of €2387 per month in some parts of Dublin.
Image by Infomatique/Via Openverse/CC BY-SA 2.0
