New Irish now account for 17pc of workforce
Thursday November 01 2007
Foreign workers account for 17pc of the workforce, according to a recent survey, a significantly higher number than that released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The latest figure is contained in the the Chambers of Ireland Labour Force Survey 2007 which was conducted in association with the Equality Authority.
The most recent CSO figure is 10pc. Chambers Ireland yesterday called for increased integration of foreign workers into top business roles.
David Pierce, president of Chambers Ireland, said: "It is crucial that we remove all impediments currently obstructing New Irish employees entering the top tiers of the business world in the interest of equality and the longevity of the Irish economy."
The survey was conducted by Amarach Consulting and covered just over 600 businesses.
Among businesses with more than 50 employees, the proportion of foreign workers was even higher, at 24pc.
According to Niall Crowley, chief executive of the Equality Authority, progress is evident as 22pc of companies have integrated a focus on customer equality and diversity in their policies. He added that significant challenges are also evident as 37pc of firms said that equality for diversity of employees and customers was not an issue requiring attention.
The survey also found a predominance of males in the workplace. On average, 61pc of workforces are male with a higher percentage of male staff in micro-businesses or firms with fewer than ten employees.
Female participation is higher in the public sector with women comprising 46pc of staff.
In addition, the survey found that 55pc of companies have had vacancies to fill in the last year, with almost all of those vacancies being filled within the year.
- Ailish O'Hora
