Registered Romanian citizens in Ireland dropped by 50% in 2008

The Irish government presented the official, final data related to the number of foreign workers that officially registered in Ireland in 2008. More precisely, those who received a PPS number, allocated to both Irish and foreign citizens that offers them a working social number, the right to receive a driving license or open up a bank account.

Romanian citizens in Ireland dropped in 2008 by 50% compared to the same data in 2007. Thus, in 2008 only 6,762 received a PPS number as compared to 14,525 in 2007 which represents a 53.44% decrease. The main explanation is related to the fact that unemployment rates are sky rocketing in Ireland and the constructions sector crashed.

Moreover, the Irish economy has fallen in recession as early as summer 2008 and the government expects a 4% drop in the economy. Another reason is that Romanians still need to obtain a working permit if planning to work in Ireland, at least by the end of 2011 which represented a major constraint for most Romanians.

Officials estimate that the official numbers will drop even more in 2009 and many Romanians in Ireland and expected to leave for Romania due to the harsh conditions in Ireland.