Migrants more likely to be working than Irish-born, but many experience poverty and high housing costs

Many indicators of migrant integration remain strong, with foreign-born residents more likely to be employed, active in the labour market, and well-educated compared to the Irish-born population. However, migrants also have lower incomes and are more likely to experience poverty and deprivation. Migrants are also much more likely to be affected by high housing costs: 37% of migrants spend more than 30% of their income on housing, compared to 9% of Irish-born residents.

The Monitoring Report on Integration 2024 is published jointly by the ESRI, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), and the Department of Justice. This publication is the latest in a series that investigates how migrants in Ireland are faring. The report compares outcomes for Irish- and foreign-born residents in the areas of employment, education, social inclusion and active citizenship.

Key findings

Labour market

• Migrant employment and rates of participation in the labour market have remained higher than those of Irish-born residents since 2022. Employment rates have maintained their recovery since 2021, when they fell to the same level as the Irish-born rate during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Outcomes vary according to place of birth. In 2024, migrants born in the EU, Asia and Rest of World had broadly better labour market outcomes than Irish-born residents. Those born in Europe but not in the EU had poorer labour market outcomes. Other groups had similar or worse labour market outcomes, depending on the indicator.
• Labour market outcomes for African migrants show continued improvement, maintaining progress first observed in the Monitoring Report on Integration 2022. In recent years, African employment rates have risen and unemployment rates have fallen, with both figures now similar to those of Irish-born residents.

Education

• In line with previous Monitoring Reports, migrants have higher levels of educational attainment than Irish-born overall. Across 2021 to 2023, 59% of working-age foreign-born residents had tertiary education, compared to 42% of Irish-born residents.
• Tertiary education rates vary by place of birth, with the lowest figure among those born in eastern EU countries (38%), and the highest among those born in Asia (79%)
• Migrant students, at 15 years of age, score lower on English reading and maths tests compared to non-migrant students
• The rate of early school leaving among young migrants was low and similar to the rate of the Irish-born population.

Poverty and housing

• Migrants are much more likely to experience high housing costs: 37% of migrants pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs, compared to 9% of Irish-born residents.
• Migrants face higher levels of poverty and deprivation than Irish-born residents. This primarily affects those born in eastern EU states and outside the EU.
• Of those born outside the EU, 20% are considered ‘at risk of poverty’, compared to 11% of Irish-born residents. (A household is ‘at risk of poverty’ when their income is below 60% of the national equivalised median income.)
• Those born in the UK, eastern EU, and outside the EU are more likely to experience material deprivation than the Irish-born population. Those born in the western EU are less likely to experience this.

Active citizenship

• In 2023, over 18,200 naturalisation certificates were issued, up more than a third from 2022. More than one in ten naturalisation certificates were issued following marriage to an Irish national.
• Average processing times for a citizenship application decreased from 22 months in 2022 to 15 months in 2023.
• Political participation of immigrants has increased, with the number of immigrants both running and winning a seat doubling in the 2024 local elections, albeit from a very low base. The proportion of councillors with a migrant background remains low overall, at 2.2%.

The findings paint a mixed picture, with many positive outcomes for migrants and some more concerning outcomes. While migrants are likely to be employed and are well-educated, they have lower incomes and are more at risk of poverty. This may indicate that foreign qualifications are not receiving the recognition they deserve, leaving some migrants overqualified for their jobs. Findings relating to housing costs are particularly stark. Mainstream issues, such as housing, can disproportionately affect migrants and addressing such issues is essential for improving migrant integration.

Evan Carron-Kee, co-author of the report said: “Recent positive developments in migrant integration include strong growth in the African employment rate and improvements in citizenship processing times. However, there are also some persistent challenges. Migrants are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis and are much more likely to experience income poverty and deprivation. These issues require urgent policy attention.”