Not strictly a workplace issue, but a story in today's International Herald Tribune about an exodus of Irish immigrants from New York caught our eye.
That long-time illegal residents are returning to Ireland because their lives are being made impossible by the U.S. security crackdown is hardly surprising. But for others, this "complete reversal of the American dream" seems to have much to do with seeking a better quality of life and work-life balance.
. . . . Others, already naturalized citizens, say the price in toil for health care and education was too high, and hope for a less exhausting life in a prosperous Ireland.
Michael and Catroina Condon, both naturalized American citizens who spent 19 and 11 years in New York, respectively, say Ireland's brand of prosperity promises a better life for their children. After the birth of their first baby, they said, they rebelled against the toll of seven-day workweeks to pay rising costs in a sluggish American economy
"It's longer hours, less money, and a lot of the time you see people working for their wage just to pay their rent, to pay their health insurance," said Catroina Condon, 31, who was a corporate secretary before returning in September to the village of Mullingar in County Westmeath. Her husband, a carpenter, is starting his own business, and she envisions a wedding-planning enterprise.
N.Y.’s Irish tide is flowing home | IHT
Um, Mullingar is a large town, not a village. Get your facts correct.