NEARLY 25,000 GRADUATES left Ireland to work abroad in the year up to April.

That is a 15% increase on the previous 12 months, figures from the CSO published today show. On the whole, the figures show that more Irish people still leave Ireland than those who come back.

The figures show 30,800 Irish people moved abroad in the year, but just 27,400 moved back, a net outflow of 3,400 Irish people.

For Fianna Fáil’s Jobs spokesperson Niall Collins, the most worrying statistic is the one showing that 44% of those adult emigrants, 24,900, were third-level graduates.

“In the midst of a supposed economic recovery, this is a 15% increase year on year.

“Can our country really afford to be losing 500 graduates every week, many of whom are medical and nursing graduates who are desperately needed in the Irish health service?

It’s clear that while there are job opportunities in Ireland, graduates are prioritising quality of life and cost of living when deciding where to work after graduation.

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“The cost of housing in particular is damaging Ireland’s ability to hold onto its graduates. We are already hearing about a severe lack of graduates in IT and in science and technology.

Our economy, our health system and our communities cannot afford to lose any more graduates. It’s time to arrest it to ensure that our country can continue to prosper and develop.

The UK remains the most popular single destination for migrants, with 12,100 heading there. A further 5,300 went to Australia, 22,600 went across the EU, 3,700 to Canada and 6,500 to the US.