I read an article in Business Week entitled The New Generation Leaving Ireland by Kerry Capell. I found the article like something out of a science fiction movie. The subtitle “Some 170,000 jobs vanished last year, and the lack of employment is driving a generation away” was alarming. Ireland could lose a whole generation of college graduates as many Irish graduates are considering emigrating to find employment.
Australia is one destination and that country is very actively extolling the benefits of emigrating Down Under where unemployment is low. For the first time in 15 years, more people left Ireland than immigrated. In the United States, our unemployment rate is high but I suspect we are not in danger of losing a whole generation of college graduates, or are we?
The fact that U.S. college graduates are not emigrating does not mean our graduates have found work. I believe most have not. However, if they have found work how many are underemployed. I suspect most. The longer the recession continues and hiring remains soft what will be the long-term effect on this generation of college graduates. Will they catch up or give up? This is not to imply this is a generation of quitters. No, the opposite is true and I believe most of them will find meaningful employment. At least that is what I hope.
We live in a global society and emigration is a job search strategy. Perhaps more should consider it. Another option is to join the military. Before you dismiss that, there are benefits to it. Another option is public service. Before you dismiss that, you may want to check out National & Community Service. You may be surprised. Remember adversity is the mother of invention.
Tom Cairns is a Principal at Cairns Blaner Group, a management-consulting firm. Tom is a former Chief Human Capital Officer at the US Department Homeland Security and former SVP, Human Resources for NBC Universal.
Image: David Blackwell
