Enough people to fill a town the size of Coleraine moved to Northern Ireland in three years, it was revealed today.
An extra 26,000 arrived in search of better jobs and prospects, figures from the official statistics office added.
However, a support group warned one in five was returning home because of the credit crunch.
A note from the statistics office said: “In the three years from 2004 to 2007, Northern Ireland has seen a net migration gain of 26,000 people, equivalent to around 1.5 per cent of the population or a town the size of Coleraine.
“In contrast, from 1974 to 1977 Northern Ireland witnessed a net migration loss of 28,000 people.”
Peace, efforts to boost the economy and the accession of eastern European states to the EU may be behind the change.
Poland, Lithuania and Portugal are among the countries sending workers. Many are in service, construction and food-producing industries.
A Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency spokesman said: “Northern Ireland has seen significant migration since EU expansion in 2004 and migration now contributes marginally more to population growth in Northern Ireland than natural change.”
The size of the resident population in Northern Ireland at June 30th, 2007, is estimated at 1.7 million.
Natural growth through births and the loss of 1,400 soldiers pulled out with the end of the British army’s operation in the North were other factors in the 1 per cent population increase.
Margaret Donaghy, from the Multi-Cultural Resource Centre, which works with migrants, said the figures would not cover the so-called undocumented.
“People are coming for jobs, they would be enticed over for work. If they are European the majority have the free right to travel,” she added.
She said many had restrictions on benefits, meaning they had little option but to take jobs.
“A straw poll that we did with our service users found that one-in-five was heading back for a while but others were bringing their families over.
“Because of the credit crunch there’s not as much work going about, it isn’t economical.”
PA