Recession in Ireland seems to be leading to increased exports once again…of people. Ireland GDP figures for the last quarter of 2008 show that the economy shrank by 7.5% on last year, giving Ireland the worst full-year economic performance on record. This has coincided with a number of overseas job’s fairs being run in Dublin and Cork, with recruiters from Canada, New Zealand and Australia hoping to attract some of the best skilled workers to fill skills gaps in these countries.

Irish unemployment is currently at 10.4%. The construction scetor has taken a particularly sharp fall and has led to many skilled workers such as bricklayers, plasterers etc. being made redundant. These are some of the workers that countries like Australia are hoping to recruit. The Irish government has predicted that the economy will contract by 6.5%  this year, making opportunities overseas ever more attractive.