Short-term international labour migration: Brazilian migrants in Ireland

Short–term low–skilled labour migration increased sharply during the two decades prior to the international economic recession of 2008, to fill deficiencies in local labour supply in developed countries. Ireland was one of the newer states to recruit labour internationally on a large scale between the late 1990s and 2008. Brazilian workers who were recruited initially for the meat processing sector formed a small component of this. They assume particular interest as a new migration stream over a great distance, which involved relatively short sojourns in Ireland for many. The study includes research in Ireland and in the areas of origin, following migrant return, and has a focus on small towns (Gort and Roscommon) which are under documented more generally in the literature.

Download the full policy brief

Authors

Dr Garret Maher, University of Exeter

Dr Mary Cawley, Geography, NUI Galway

Contact

Garret Maher – G.Maher@exeter.ac.uk