Birth rate rises to highest point since 1980 as migration falls steeply

MIGRATION FIGURES:NET MIGRATION fell steeply in the year to the end of April, but the number of births in the State increased to its highest point since 1980, according to new population and migration data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

There were an estimated 72,300 births in the 12 months to April 2008, while the excess of births over deaths, known as the natural increase, was 44,600.

The natural increase in the population has surged almost threefold since its low point of 16,600 in the year to April 1994 and has now overtaken net migration as the main driver of population growth for the first time since 2004.

The total number of immigrants coming into the State fell by 26,000 to 83,800, while the number of emigrants increased marginally to 45,300.

This led to net migration of 38,500, down from 67,300 in the year to April 2007.

Fás senior economist Brian McCormick said it appeared that migration trends were reacting to the slowdown in the labour market here and the improvement in labour market conditions in Central Europe.

Immigrants of all nationalities apart from the UK declined, but the numbers of immigrants from the EU accession states fell the most.

In the year to April 2008, some 34,000 people came to the Republic from those countries, down from 53,000 in the year to April 2007.

The EU accession states include Poland and the Baltic states.

But despite the lower rates of new immigrants arriving in the Republic, CSO director Aidan Punch said there was no evidence of a mass exodus of immigrants who are already here in response to the recessionary conditions.

One in six births are to non-Irish women, while one in six people in the labour force are non-Irish nationals.

"So there is strong evidence there of people sticking," Mr Punch said.

The number of non-Irish nationals in employment increased by 21,500 over the year, while there was a decrease of 14,600 in employment for Irish nationals.

An increase in non-Irish national employment in the wholesale and retail trade sector was the main driver of non-Irish national jobs growth.

In the year to April 2008, the population increased by 83,100 or 1.9 per cent, almost four times the average rate of growth in the euro zone. This brought the Irish population to 4.42 million, the highest since 1851.

But the increase in the population was unevenly distributed across the regions, with the mid-east showing the strongest growth at 3.6 per cent and Dublin showing the weakest growth at 0.6 per cent.