I would usually agree with that, but unfortunately that would rule out graduates as they will not have the same experience, and this means that graduates will not be able to get a job in this country for many many years, and that forces emigration up. If all the graduates leave the country as there are no jobs, the government will have the problem in 20 years of an aging workforce and very few to replace them. Mass exodus is going to cause more problems. There has to be some effort made to include graduates into the workforce.

Disagree. We should always accommodate disabled people and those with certain challenges. A society that doesn’t do that is not society.

It’s too simplistic to say the best person for the job no matter what. I say that without wanting to sound patronising to the disabled. Many disabled people are the best people for the job. My fear though is that in the cut throat corporate world those people with disabilities wouldn’t get a look in.

How you define “best suited” will depend on your goal.

Do you want the job done fantastically well, whatever the price? Do you want it done cheaply and fairly well? Do you want to take the opportunity to encourage better quality of work in the future, by providing experience to those who would most benefit from it?

I really don’t know, but I like to think we can afford to take a long-term view.

Sean I wouldn’t have put disabled people in the ‘unsuitable’ category. Just because someone can’t walk doesn’t mean the cant be an accountant. I literally mean jobs should not go to people on a system like this, the best suited should always get it.

In theory, you’re right. The best person for the job should get it. But then that would contradict almost the entire civil service. Let’s face it, not always the best suited gets the job, but this time round it’s a good thing the jobs are going to people more in need of then, rather than a minister’s/councillor’s golfing buddy.

that assumes equality of opportunity exists

Spot on

Damned if they do, and damned if they don’t…

I disagree. Are you saying Irish people are not up to the skills level and can’t handle competition from foreign talent? If that’s the case lets get people trained rather than subsidise substandard workers. Foreign MNC are not going to come here if they are forced to take on local staff who can’t do the job; it is a major deterrent and against EU rules. Google, Paypal etc can’t find the people here but we have huge businesses established in Ireland now that we can train locally to get Irish people hired into legitimately, but it is a great thing that we have many Europeans living here now enlivening society.

.

I work in IT and I can assure you that, despite the high levels of unemployment experienced in Ireland, there is a massive skills shortage on most areas of the IT industry. We are left with no choice but to import labour. And what is the education system doing to respond to this demand? Where are the secondary school programmes to teach computer programming, foreign languages, database development?

Google has to import 70% of its workforce into Ireland for its European operations because there are not enough French and German speakers here.

Where is the government led programme to encourage students to take computer science at third level and learn a (useful) european language as part of that course? Where is the extra funding one might expect for job producing, or skills-gap filling university courses?

You can whinge about da foreigners taken our jobs and our wimens, or you can do something to produce a skilled Irish workforce that can actually meet the required demand. So far I’ve seen nothing that would lead me to think that’s going to happen any time soon.

Its very hard to get your foot in the door when you only hold a degree, companys are looking for a degree and experience. When your just out of college its hard to get that break. For the IT sector its almost impossible to get that break.

Karla,

They’re something IT grads can do to gain experience that is not available to graduates of many other fields.

Think of an idea for a software application or a web site, register a business name and do the work.

Guess what? That counts as experience even if noone buys it, but if someone does, even better!

If nothing comes of the business idea, put it on your CV as experience. If something does come of it, happy days it could make you rich.

Good luck.

They’re = There is. woops.

There isnt a skill shortage not even in IT
The only reason companies are looking favourably on foreign IT workers is cost and reduced benefits.
I would look at a multinational who is here for lowest tax in europe and then seeking to employ high numbers of foreign workers as being of little or real value and possibly through unfair competition stagnating growth in that sector that could be filled by another company who has a real investment in ireland and its people.

Agreed Ted and Tom is also correct. The IT guy up there, I understand what you mean BUT it is not always the case. In many cases the situtation is simply to create a cheaper pool of labour force to pick from, this suits the Capitalists. IT is not the only profession in Ireland. A full 100% of new jobs should actually be given first preference to Irish workers not just certain sections of Society. If it can’t ‘honestly’ be filled, import, otherwise don’t be employing illegal Brazilians etc to work your meat plants for cheap, and it ain’t just food industry, IT too. You mean to tell me it isn’t happening? The notion ‘suitable’ to the job, is that who can do it cheaper? Is that their notion of ‘suitable’? I am certain sure it is.

Nope. There is an IT skills shortage. Sorry to burst your bubble guys.

Interesting views from Tom and Iam given that the IT sector is currently one of the highest paying sectors at the moment. How could that be if wages are being driven down in that sector?

The reality for employers in the IT sector right now is that you put out a job ad and get a tiny trickle of responses made up mostly of unsuitable candidates. When you do find a suitable candidate, at the point that they accept the role and break the news to their existing employer, you have a 50/50 chance of the candidate deciding to remain in their current role as the employer makes them an offer they can’t refuse in order to keep them.

Employers don’t want to lose their skilled staff because they are so damn difficult and expensive to replace.

I work for an Irish company and 50% of our staff are non-Irish. We are running a recruitment drive that has been going on for the last 3 years and are struggling to keep up with the work coming in.

yes because it is the only way to reverse base inequality

Do you want everything for free Nollaig or just water?

I’d imagine he wants oxygen for free too. Some people just want it all!

SHE not he has worked hard all her life and is sick and tired of paying through the nose for everthing and not being able to afford a trip to the dentist or the doctor. No more for me I’ll fight the crappy water charges and the home tax all the way. (I’m prepared to do time if I have to) I for one will not lie down and be walked on!

John water was never free and we are currently paying for it. The new water charges is charging for the same service twice. Its this type of double taxation that is killing any hope of recovery.

John F, I suppose you don’t pay any income tax if you think water is “free”.

Clearly you have vast experience employing travellers.

LOL, you jest?

Complaining about segregation problems, then segregating people into groups based on who you think needs more support? Hypocrite much Sean?