Report highlights plight of Poles in NI
Thursday, 5 November 2009 09:27A crisis fund needs to be established to help members of Northern Ireland's Polish community cope with the recession.
According to a report from The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, Polish nationals are three times more likely to be unemployed than the average worker.
The study found that Polish people are more unlikely to apply for Jobseekers Allowance and that they struggle with bureaucracy in their search for jobs and benefits.
Just over 400 Poles living in Northern Ireland took part in a survey which informed the report's findings.
Half of respondents had dependents living in Northern Ireland, and half were married.
Around 20% of them were unemployed - almost three times higher than the North's current unemployment rate.
The report, which makes a number of recommendations including the establishment of a crisis fund and the provision of training courses, warns that if the economic downturn continues, Polish immigrants are facing extreme poverty.
