Know before you go
Ireland is a popular destination for jobseekers from all over Europe. After the accession of ten new Member States to the EU in 2004, the country was among the first of the ‘old’ Members to fully open its labour market to the countries of the May 2004 enlargement.
In 2006 the Irish training and employment Authority FAS launched a special campaign, called Know before you go, as part of its efforts to further promote workers’ mobility and facilitate the integration of foreign workers arriving in the country. This targeted action became necessary due to the impressive increase of EU citizens moving to Ireland since 2000 and in particular after the 2004 EU enlargement.
Over the last five years the inflow of nationals of the previous EU15 has with around 25% broadly been stable. Nowadays, the countries of the May 2004 enlargement (Czech Republic, Cyprus Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) are the most notable source of immigration growth. They accounted for 43% or 37,800 of all immigrants in the year 2006 (Source: The Irish Labour Market Review 2006). It is to be expected that this share will largely remain the same – even if access to the Irish labour market has been restricted for workers from the latest EU members Bulgaria and Romania.
The concept of Know before you go reflects the growing importance of migrant workers for Ireland and an understanding of the positive effects of migration for the Irish economy. The campaign aims at providing potential jobseekers with advice and practical information on work opportunities and the various aspects of life in Ireland.
A variety of information materials (leaflets, booklets, posters etc.) on the living and working conditions in Ireland, focus on issues such as recruitment procedures, taxation and social security, accommodation, health insurance etc. The Know before you go DVD, another useful source of information, has been produced in the five languages spoken in the most important source countries, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Made available at the national employment services, the DVD presentations were also broadcasted by national television networks in some target countries.
Furthermore, FAS has succeeded in involving relevant politicians and major national media in the promotion of the campaign. In the five above mentioned countries, the programme launch was attended by the respective Ministers of Social Affairs and Labour, the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, relevant senior management from the public employment services, and the EURES Managers from the different countries. The local press, radio and television stations, as well as Irish media were invited. The launch attracted the desired publicity and caused a sudden increase in demand for information.
Know before you go is Europe’s first fully integrated information campaign aimed at supporting EU and EEA workers seeking employment in Ireland. “Our pro-active campaign wants to present migration in a new and very positive way”, says Kevin Quinn, the project responsible and EURES Manager for Ireland.
Particular emphasis has been given to the development of the Know before you go website. Structured in a simple and user-friendly way, the site represents a useful information tool for anyone interested in working in Ireland. The online source provides helpful advice on relevant issues such as bureaucratic requirements, taxation, social security, healthcare, education, workers rights, and accommodation. It also offers a checklist of documents to have at hand before arrival, as well as a list of the addresses of the most relevant institutions in the country. The website is available in twelve languages in addition to English and is linked to the EURES portal.
Until now, over a million of brochures and around 50.000 DVDs have been distributed during the campaign. According to Kevin Quinn, the first effects of the campaign are already evident in the way mobile workers interact with Irish public service staff. Their questions have become much more focused and concrete.
The Know before you go has been one of the projects presented at the closing conference of the European Year of Workers Mobility. It is an example of a major success in the efforts of EU Member States to increase the workers' mobility.
Contact: Kevin Quinn kevin.quinn@fas.ie
