‘It’s pretty ridiculous back home’: Why Irish people are fleeing to Australia

The number of Irish people moving to Australia more than doubled in 2023, causing headaches at home. But those who move aren’t looking back.

Tens of thousands of Irish people were approved to live and work in Australia in 2023 sparking concern at home – but those who made the move aren’t looking back.

More than 21,000 Irish citizens were granted working holiday visas in Australia in the 12 months leading up to July 2023, making the highest recorded number in more than 16 years.

The mass exodus, understood to be mostly skilled youths, has some Irish leaders worried that the nation of little over five million people is haemorrhaging its younger generations at an alarming rate.

Responding to the recent working holiday data, the Higher Education, Innovation and Science spokeswoman for the nation’s republican, left-wing nationalist Sinn Féin party, Mairéad Farrell, lamented the situation in the Dáil Éireann (the lower house).

Over 21,000 Irish citizens were granted working holiday visas in Australia in the 12 months leading up to July 2023, making it the highest recorded number in over 16 years. St Patrick’s Day The Rocks in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“There’s clearly something that’s a mess,” she told leaders last week.

“We keep hearing that the economy is doing well, but very clearly, something’s going wrong for young people here.

“They feel that there is no alternative (but) to go to Australia.”

Between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, the Australian Department of Home Affairs granted 21,525 working holiday visas to Irish citizens, more than double the previous year’s allocation of 10,491.

Between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020, 8,878 working holiday visas were granted to Irish citizens, while 11,077 visas were granted between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

Ireland was only exceeded by the United Kingdom (38,177 granted, up 17.0 per cent), and France (26,896 granted, up 12.0 per cent).

The Land of Plenty rings true

Brisbane-based Irish scaffolder Joe Kelly, 27, has been in Australia for 15 months and said moving down under “changed my life”.

“It was hard to establish myself in Ireland,” he told news.com.au.

“It’s pretty ridiculous back home, to be honest; I know everyone talks about the cost of living over here, but most things are nearly double over there.

“I went home for Christmas this year, and I actually did most of my Christmas shopping here because it was cheaper to do it here and bring it home with me.”

Brisbane scaffolder Joe Kelly, 27, moved to Australia 15 months ago and has established a successful scaffolding business with ten employees. Picture: Instagram.

Kelly believes that Australia offers more opportunities than Ireland due to its large size, and that the cost of living is lower in Australia. Picture: Instagram.

Mr Kelly recalled paying the equivalent to AU$4 per litre for petrol and AU$200 for a one-person weekly food shop on about half of his Australian wage before moving overseas.

He said his new life in Brisbane has opened up untold opportunities, wasting no time starting a successful scaffolding business and settling into a comfortable life.

“I’ve been in Australia for 15 months, and now I have 10 guys working for me; it’s changed my life completely,” he said of the move.

“I’ve got a good crew of lads, even some other Irish lads; it’s going pretty well.

“Because Australia is so big, there’s so much opportunity.

“If I stayed at home, the industries are just so small that you’re waiting for someone to retire or get fired to get a promotion.

“Over here, there are constantly new opportunities – a lot of people back in Ireland are just stuck in a rut and can’t find any way of getting out of it.

Although Kelly’s patriotism for Ireland remains strong, he has no plans to return home as Australia has ‘changed his life completely’. Picture: Instagram.

The transition is made culturally easy, Mr Kelly said, with Irish and Australians sharing many similar values.

According to Mr Kelly, eating and drinking out is the “only thing” that is more expensive in Australia.

Despite setting solid foundations in Australia and swirling nationalist criticism back home against those who chose to move abroad, Mr Kelly said his notorious Irish patriotism had diminished none.

“I could be in Australia for the rest of my life, and I’ll still be as Irish as I am today,” he said.

Why do Ireland’s youth crave Australia?

Irish youth-orientated online news publication Joe recently asked youth in Dublin if and why Australia was so appealing.

The response only added weight to Ms Farrell’s concerns.

Respondents shared concerns such as it being “impossible” to find housing and jobs.

Others detested the “miserable” Irish weather.

“There’s more jobs, and the pay is better (in Australia),” one young woman said.

“ … and the weather of course, because it’s absolutely freezing here. There’s good looking people in Australia too, which never hurts.”

Irish youth find Australia appealing due to better job opportunities, higher pay and better weather conditions. Picture: Joe.ie

The cost of living in Dublin, Ireland is high, making it difficult for young people to buy a house or afford a good lifestyle. Picture: Joe.ie

A young man said Australia appeals to young Irish people in transitional phases of their lives.

“I guess if you’re in Ireland, and you’re not really doing anything with your career, you’re living at home, or your rent is pretty high; Inflation is high; there are lots of reasons to move abroad.

“If you’re not doing anything here, you might as well do that abroad.”

Another young woman declared: “Cost of living here is crazy”, in an answer that would parallel the concerns of many young Australians.

“It’s so hard to buy a house (in Dublin), and paying for a room is a lot of money as well,” she said.

“You could be getting a box of a room somewhere or even share a room with other people.

“I guess it’s just like a better lifestyle there, and you’re probably going to be happier if you can afford something here.”

Is the grass really greener down under?

As with Australia, a cost of living crisis has dominated Irish headlines in recent years.

Since 2021, rises in rent, food, fuel, and utilities have hit Ireland hard, while, like in Australia, rising lending rates have put a major strain on fledgling borrowers.

Much of the financial strain fluctuations reflect the Australian experience; however, the Irish experience appears more intense in some sectors while contending with a lower overall living wage.

Australia’s average yearly salary AU$90,800 far exceeds Ireland’s AU$74,325.

A major discrepancy lies in rent, where generally, Irish renters are effectively expected to pay more with less.

Over the past two years, both home ownership and rental costs in Ireland have surged, with newly registered tenancies nationally averaging AU$2,549 per month, marking an almost 9 per cent increase from the previous year.

In Dublin, where demand is highest, the average rent on new tenancies rose by 8 per cent to AU$3,470 per month, reflecting a substantial climb in the overall cost of renting, as per local media reports.

Comparatively, a 2023 CoreLogic rental summary listed the median monthly rent as $2280 across all dwellings or $2376 in Australian capital cities.

The Irish housing market has experienced major fluctuations, with significant price increases over the last two years.

St Patrick's Day at The Rocks. The cost of living crisis has hit Ireland hard, resulting in a surge in rent, food, fuel, and utilities, which coupled with a lower overall living wage and rising lending rates, has put a major strain on fledgling borrowers and young Irish homeowners.

While recent months have seen a moderation in price hikes, a property priced at AU$577,906 in September 2021 is now likely valued at about AU$660,465. The median house price in Australia’s combined capital was at $937,592 as of early January.

The cost of groceries in Ireland surged by almost 13 per cent in the 12 months leading to August 2023, representing a considerable increase from July 2022 when year-on-year inflation was nearly 10 per cent.

According to Trading Economics’ global macro models and analysts expectations, food Inflation in Australia is expected to be 4.20 per cent by the end of this quarter, down from a peak of 9.2 per cent in 2023.

Irish fuel costs have also seen significant fluctuations, reaching over AU$3.3 per litre of petrol during the height of the crisis.

Excise duty cuts offered temporary relief, but recent increases coupled with a spike in demand and reduced global oil supply have prompted warnings fuel prices could again breach AU$3.3.

In addition, the European Central Bank’s recent series of interest rate hikes, totalling 0.25 per cent since July 2022, has had a cumulative impact exceeding AU$8,255.8 for young Irish homeowners.

Originally published as ‘It’s pretty ridiculous back home’: Why Irish people are fleeing to Australia