European migration and Irish pubs

business — By Bob Riel on June 2, 2006 at 1:23 pm

Now that the European Union allows workers to move around the continent for jobs, some interesting migration patterns have developed. According to this NY Times article, Germany, Britain and Spain are three of the top landing spots for immigrants from other nations. These are not just laborers in search of a construction contract, but also thousands of professionals in, for example, the financial service and computer industries.

One of the more intriguing examples of this new European-wide migration is that Ireland’s booming economy has made the country a prime source of jobs for non-Irish workers. There are now 20,000 French people working in Ireland, making the country the third largest French employer on the continent after France and Britain.

Needless to say, this has also created unique cultural situations, as the more cautious and bureaucratic French interact with the more outgoing and flexible Irish.

The French are struck by the easy collegiality of the Irish, noting that work-related problems are often resolved not in the office but over a pint after work.

“In France on Friday afternoon, you say to your colleagues, ‘Have a good weekend,’ and ‘I’ll see you on Monday,’ ” Mr. Girard-Claudon said. “Here, it’s ‘Where are we going to drink one tonight?’ ”

They are also struck by the ease and speed with which business decisions are made in Ireland. “It went very quickly,” said Mr. Walter, who has been working in Ireland for six months, describing his hiring. “I applied. I got a call, ‘You start in two weeks.’ “