Ireland: Black Africans are four times more likely to be out of work than white Irish-born citizens

Researchers found that the black African immigrant group had the lowest rate of employment. The labor force participation was just 60% for black Africans and 65% for Europeans who were not white in 2010, while it ranged from 72% to 80% for white Europeans and Asians, many who arrived on student visas and could legally work part-time. The findings, based on 2004 and 2010 surveys from the Central Statistics Office, were published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Equality Authority. Researchers said that the number of non-Irish nationals in work more than doubled from 164,400 in 2004 to 341,500 at the end of 2007, at the peak of the boom, but as unemployment soared and the recession deepened, the gap between Irish and foreign nationals in work grew. Black Africans had the highest unemployment rate (36%), while white people from the old EU-13 member states had the lowest rate (9%), followed by Asians (12%). Irish nationals also held the majority of professional and managerial occupations. Renee Dempsey, chief executive of the Equality Authority, said that the report showed immigrants did not fare as well as Irish nationals in the Irish labor market.