Almost half of people in Northern Ireland think migrant workers take jobs away from locals, it was revealed today.How would you attempt to logically and rationally test that perception?
Nearly a third think they came simply to receive benefits, the survey for the Department of Employment and Learning said.
You could try looking at:
Rate of Unemployment in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom 1992-2009
In 1992, when there were next to no immigrants in Northern Ireland "stealing" our jobs, the rate of unemployment* was 13.7 per cent of the work force (comparative figure for the UK as a whole was 9.9).
The latest figures for 2009 are 6.6% for NI, 7.8% for the Uk as a whole.
Now, bearing those figures in mind, can you guess what would be my next rhetorical question?
(*Source: Quarterly Employment Survey, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and NorthernIreland Economic Bulletin 2007 and Economic Trends/UK)
1 comment:
Great - Great stuff, good to see we're as enlightened as ever.
My view would be that migrants do take jobs, as they always have done - jobs which either those in NI don't have the skill to or that they're too bone idle to get off their lard arses to actually go to. Heard a lovely R4 interview with some losers in the Village (NB lots of Non Losers in the Village too, this is not an anti Village rant) which made me ashamed to be from NI. Merry Xmas
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