Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island

A report commissioned by the EURES Cross Border Partnership

Centre for Cross Border Studies May 2010 Joe Shiels Annmarie O’Kane

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those organisations who engaged with us in profiling their cross‐border employees and, in particular, Justin Gleeson, AIRO (All‐Island Research Observatory) Project Manager, National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), National University of Ireland, Maynooth who provided maps and statistics for population within 30kms of the border.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 5

2 The Context of Cross Border Mobility 6

2.1 European Union 6

2.2 North/ South Ministerial Council 8

2.3 EURES Cross Border Partnership 8

2.4 Border People 9

3 The North West region 10

4 Cross‐border statistics in the North‐West 11

5 Survey of Organisations in the North‐West 16

5.1 Survey sample 16

5.2 The Results 17

5.2.1 Numbers of cross‐border employees, North and South 17

5.2.2 Scale of organisations with cross‐border employees, North and South 19

5.2.3 Organisation sector and cross‐border employees, North and South 20

5.2.4 Extrapolate to entire border region 22

6 Maps 23

7 Supplementary Statistics 30

7.1 North South Traffic Flows 30

7.2 Cross‐border births 32

7.3 Cross‐border Education 32

7.4 Cross‐border shopping 33

7.5 Currrency 33

8 Conclusions 35

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Border People page view / hit statistics 2010 10

Figure 2: Numbers of cross‐border employees identified in North and South survey sample 19

Figure 3: Percentages of cross‐border employees by size of organisation 20

Figure 4: Numbers of cross‐border employees by size of organisation 20

Figure 5: Numbers of cross‐border employees by size of organisation 20

Figure 6: Percentage of cross‐border employees by organisation sector 21

Figure 7: Numbers of cross‐border employees by organisation sector 21

Figure 8: Location of 64 surveyed organisations within the catchment area 24

Figure 9: The scale and direction of cross‐border employees within the North West 25

Figure 10: The location of large‐sized organisations (>250 employees) surveyed 26

Figure 11: The location of medium‐ sized organisations (51 to 250 employees) surveyed 27

Figure 12: The location of small‐sized organisations (10 to 50 employees) surveyed 28

Figure 13: The location of micro‐sized organisations (<10 employees) surveyed 29

Figure 14: Annual Average Daily Traffic (5 day week) flows at Border Traffic Census collection points, 2007 (total flows in/out) 31

Figure 15: Average number of daily passengers and cars on cross‐border ferry (1 Jan ‐ 21 Mar 2010) 31

Figure 16: Births in Northern Ireland by residents of the Republic of Ireland, by NI Health Board 32

Figure 17: Number of students travelling across the border for education, 2000 ‐ 2007 33

Figure 18: Euro/ Sterling exchange rates sourced from the European Central Bank 34

Table of Tables

Table 1: Residents of Republic of Ireland commuting to work in Northern Ireland, CSO 2006 13

Table 2: Residents of County Donegal commuting to work in Northern Ireland, CSO 2006 14

Table 3: Northern Irish Residents Working in Republic of Ireland, NISRA 2001 16

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

1 Introduction

In January 2010 the Centre for Cross Border Studies was commissioned by the EURES Cross‐border Partnership to provide statistics on the number of people within the North West region who commute across the Northern Ireland/ Republic of Ireland border to work.

Cross border commuting is typically borne of natural local responses to local opportunities. The behaviour of large employers and local traditions all shape the social context for the labour market in the North West where two different systems of labour regulation are in close proximity and employees can potentially fall ‘between two stools’. This happens when national institutions, effective at the level of one jurisdiction, do not mesh together with those of the other jurisdiction making it problematic to handle cross‐border employees who might have different expectations, traditions, and backgrounds.

There are no centralised or categorised statistics recorded on the extent of cross‐border mobility at all‐island or regional level. Analysis of cross‐border labour is limited by shortages and mismatches of official data. While the Irish Censuses North and South are excellent sources for looking at labour flows within states, they have serious shortcomings in the information available on cross‐border flows. Not only are the censuses held at different times, the most recent census in the Republic of Ireland was held in 2006, in Northern Ireland it was in 2001, but important questions are phrased in different ways. As the recent Atlas of the Island of Ireland states “of the 1161 Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS) outputted from the 2001 census in Ireland, our analysis estimates that 32% of the variables can be matched directly to the Northern Ireland census… this means that over two thirds of all census variables published in the South have no direct equivalents in Northern Ireland without manipulation” 1. The 2011 censuses in both jurisdictions present a great opportunity to build on the development of comparative North‐South statistics.

In 2001, a report commissioned by the North South Ministerial Council2 identified the lack of accurate and up‐to‐date data about the extent of cross‐border mobility as a major obstacle to

1 Gleeson, et al. 2008. Atlas of the Island of Ireland: Mapping Social and Economic Change. All‐Island Research Observatory (AIRO), NUI Maynooth.

2 PwC / Indecon Economic Consultants. 2001. Study of Obstacles to cross‐border mobility. North South Ministreial Council, Armagh.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership dealing with issues in taxation, social security, pensions, health services, childcare, housing, transport, education and training, employment law, recruitment practices, telecoms, banking and insurance for people who move across the NI‐Irish border. This NSMC report stated that approximately 18,000 workers (9,000 in each direction), 5,200 students and 4,000 migrants cross the border to work or study each year, with another 1.7 million crossing to shop or for other purposes by bus or train. It was suggested at the time that cross‐border commuting may be more significant than the data suggested. Other previous figures on mobility include the 14 million cars crossing the border at Killeen between Newry and Dundalk every year (the main cross‐border road axis) and the approximately 16,000 patients (between 1996 and 2003) who have formally crossed the border to receive health care in the other jurisdiction. These 2001 baseline figures, and subsequent supplementary figures, have been used to justify the development of cross‐border mobility initiatives over the past decade.

It is beyond the scope of this study to estimate precisely the magnitude of the Northern Ireland/ Republic of Ireland cross‐border flows given its fluidity, complexity, and evolution. Instead this study has adopted a pragmatic and empirical approach to documenting mobility in the busiest cross border commuting channel in Ireland, the North‐West border region of Donegal and Derry. During February‐April 2010 the Centre for Cross Border Studies contacted a random sample of employers situated within 30km of border within the North West region to examine the number of their employees who lived on the opposite side of the border. This study sought to categorise the cross‐ border commuting patterns of 30% of all employees within the North West region, identifying where cross‐border commuting occurs and in what volume. Furthermore this study sought to elucidate the nature of cross‐border employers by identifying those sectors and scale of organisations that employ people from across the border. While the main findings of this report are centred on a survey of employers within this zone but are supplemented by the provision of other cross‐border statistics provided by Government Departments and Agencies on cross‐border flows. This is the first study of its kind to link patterns of cross‐border commuting to specific organisations.

2 The Context of Cross Border Mobility

2.1 European Union

Any consideration of factors impacting on mobility between the two jurisdictions in Ireland needs to be set within the wider EU context, and specifically the right to freedom of movement which is an essential part of EU citizenship. It is also important to reflect on the fact that many of the obstacles 6

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership to mobility evident across European borders are similar to those experienced between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The 1997 Amsterdam Treaty provided new impetus to improve labour mobility within the EU, and at the Spring European Council (Stockholm 2001) a strategy to promote the development of a more integrated European labour market was discussed. The first stage in this strategy is the implementation and completion of the first set of key policy actions to enhance mobility and maximise the potential of the internal market. The second stage was based on the establishment of a Skills Mobility Task Force, which met for the first time in June 2001. In its efforts to enhance the EU competitiveness and foster job creation, the European Council has identified mobility as a key element for achieving the goals of the revised Lisbon Strategy3 and for the implementation of the European Employment Strategy4. The designation of 2006 as the European Year of Worker’s Mobility has provided a broader vision of mobility issues, and enhanced the knowledge base about mobility flows and practices, as well as the identification of current obstacles to geographic and job‐to‐job mobility in the EU. The EU Commission (DG Employment and Social Affairs) commissioned a study on current trends and practices as regards cross‐border commuting within the EU‐27 (enlarged by EEA and EFTA countries)5. According to this study, one of the biggest problems includes the lack of information and knowledge about responsible offices, transparency in taxation, and knowledge about the acceptance of qualifications). In the field of healthcare, a concerted European strategy is being developed to further facilitate the movement of patients and professionals, simplify procedures and increase the quality of and access to cross‐ border care6. These developments will contribute to North/South mobility within the island of Ireland.

3 Lisbon Strategy (See www.europa.eu)

4 European Employment Strategy. May 2009. DG Employment, Social Affairs and Opportunities http://ec.europa.eu/social/

5 Nerb, G, Hitzelsberger F, Woidich A, Pommer S, Hemmer S, and Heczko P. January 2009. Scientific Report on the Mobility of Cross‐Border Workers within the EU‐27/EEA/EFTA Countries. Final report. European Commission DG Employment and Social Affairs (now DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities) Brussels.

6 EU Proposal for a Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross‐border healthcare. EU Com (2008)/ 0142. Accessed at http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/doc/com2008414_en.pdf on 8 June 2010.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

2.2 North/ South Ministerial Council

In addition to the European dimension, North/South co‐operation in Ireland is within the remit of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC). Strand Two of the Good Friday Agreement required that at least six areas were to be identified and agreed for co‐operation by way of North/South implementation bodies and six through the mechanism of existing bodies in each separate jurisdiction. These six areas were confirmed by the NSMC at its Inaugural Plenary Meeting and included Transport, Agriculture, Education and Health. Effectively, in these areas, common policies and approaches will be agreed in the NSMC but implemented separately in each jurisdiction. Examples of actions taken to date by the NSMC in these areas include: the identification of opportunities for co‐operation in relation to Strategic Transport Planning and the establishment of Joint Working Groups in the fields of Education to consider such areas as Special Education Needs, Teaching qualifications and School, Youth and Teacher Exchanges.

2.3 EURES Cross Border Partnership

Set up in 1993, EURES is a co‐operation network between the European Commission and the Public Employment Services of the European Economic Area (EEA) Member States (the EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and other partner organisations. Switzerland also takes part in EURES co‐operation. The joint resources of the EURES member and partner organisations provide a solid basis for the EURES network to offer high quality services for both workers and employers.

EURES has a particularly important role to play in cross‐border regions, areas in which there are significant levels of cross‐border commuting. Approximately 660,000 people7 live in one EU country and work in another and have to cope with different national practices and legal systems and come across administrative, legal or fiscal obstacles to mobility on a daily basis. EURES advisers in these areas provide specific advice and guidance on the rights and obligations of workers living in one country and working in another.

7 Nerb, G, Hitzelsberger F, Woidich A, Pommer S, Hemmer S, and Heczko P. January 2009. Scientific Report on the Mobility of Cross‐Border Workers within the EU‐27/EEA/EFTA Countries. Final report. European Commission DG Employment and Social Affairs (now DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities) Brussels.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

There are currently over 20 EURES cross‐border partnerships, spread geographically throughout Europe and involving more than 13 countries. Aiming to meet the need for information and coordination connected with labour mobility in the border regions, these partnerships bring together public employment and vocational training services, employers and trades union organisations, local authorities and other institutions dealing with employment and vocational training. EURES cross‐border partnerships serve as valuable points of contact among employment administrations, both regional and national, and the social partners. They are also an important means of monitoring these cross‐border employment areas, which are a key element in the development of a genuine European labour market.

The EURES partnership covering Northern Ireland and the six southern Border Counties was established in 1997. The membership of the partnership includes An Foras Áiseanna Saothair (FÁS ‐ Training and Employment Authority), Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), Chamberlink EEIG: Chambers of Commerce of Ireland and Northern Ireland Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of British Industry, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. In Northern Ireland this partnership is part of the wider work of the DEL European Employment Service under EURES, which deals with vacancies throughout the European Union.

To date the partnership has:

• established a network of trained Euro‐Advisers on both sides of the border who provide information,

• advice and placement service for job‐seekers and employers interested in cross‐border working or recruitment;

• facilitated the exchange of job vacancies between DEL jobs and benefits offices/job centres and FÁS placement services offices;

• carried out research on obstacles to labour mobility and cross‐border vocational training;

• developed a database of vocational training opportunities in the region and

• attended Jobs and Careers fairs and University job fairs in the region to provide advice on cross‐border working and training.

2.4 Border People

The NSMC agreed to work towards establishing a website to act as a central point for cross‐border mobility information in both jurisdictions. Since 2007 the NSMC Joint Secretariat, on behalf of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and Department of Foreign Affairs, have 9

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership commissioned the Centre for Cross Border Studies to develop an online website, www.borderpeople.info, to improve access to information that will help people find answers to problems associated with crossing the border in either direction. Structured around the four concepts of “Commute”, “Work”, “Live” and “Study” the website is designed to help provide information on a wide range of key issues, from taxation to social security; recruitment to health care, transport to telecoms, and banking to education.

Since the Border People website was publicly launched in April 2008 the numbers of visitors and complex public queries which are directed through the website has remained high, with over 5000 unique visitors each month (See Figure 1). The nature of queries varies considerably as does the complexities of the issues presented therein. These queries continue to provide an invaluable insight into the day‐to‐day difficulties faced by people in their dealings across the border and interactions across the jurisdictions.

Figure 1: Border People page view / hit statistics 2010

3 The North West region

Within Northern Ireland Derry is the largest urban population centre outside the Greater Belfast area, and the major city on the North West of Ireland. The city contains key transport infrastructure for the entire region in the City of Derry Airport and the Port of Londonderry. The city hosts three major educational institutions: the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education, (NWIFHE),

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership the University of Ulster at Magee (UU) and the Open University; contributing to Derry’s youthful character. In addition, Derry has the highest number of US investors in Northern Ireland, with companies such as Dupont, Seagate, Stream International and Raytheon among the city’s employers. The city also has noteworthy retail, sporting, cultural, tourist and leisure opportunities. Its hinterland includes the neighbouring districts of Strabane, Limavady and north Donegal.

Derry city has been one of the fastest growing settlements in Northern Ireland over the past three decades. Between 1991 and 2000 the DCC area’s population grew by 9.5% compared to 5.6% for Northern Ireland as a whole. The Derry City Council area has a relatively youthful population with 37% of the population being in the age range 0‐24. This is very similar to Letterkenny where roughly 40% of the population are under the age of 258 ‐ a factor explained by a larger than average proportion of school‐going age, many of whom leave for work or college and do not return. However, Donegal does have a higher than average proportion of residents over 50 years old.

The Derry City Council area has a population of 107,300 of which over 90,663 live within the urban area9. Derry Chamber of Commerce estimate that the population of the area will rise to approximately 120,000 by 2013.

4 Crossborder statistics in the NorthWest

An analysis of Census data (2001 for Northern Ireland and 2006 for Southern Ireland) within 30km on each side of the border, centred on the city of Derry and encompassing Letterkenny, Strabane and Lifford was conducted. This catchment area includes a population of almost 1 million (938, 617)10. The maps which follow clearly delineate this catchment area. It is important to consider that

8 CSO Census 2006 where 14,154 people are age 0‐24 in the areas of Letterkenny, Letterkenny Legal Area and Letterkenny Environs of a total population of 35,172

9 Statistics press notice; Midyear population estimates Northern Ireland (2006). NI Statistics and Research Agency NISRA 2009.

10 The border population figure is based on a 30km buffer either side of the border. This buffer was populated using two sources ‐ the residential weighted centroids of RoI Census EDs and residential weighted centroids of NI Output Areas. For the south the population figure was based on the 2006 Census. For the North as the last census was in 2001 the population was a best‐fit estimate. The percentage of the District population that each OA represented in the 2001 Census was used and then the 2006 District populations were then disaggregated 11

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership even though the geographic areas are equivalent in size North and South of the border, (extending approximately 30km each side), the population and the economic characteristics are not.

Population density is greater on the Northern side (576, 376 people) compared to the Southern side (362, 241). Over twice as many Northern people within this catchment area report being in employment than Southern people, i.e. 58,098 Northern employees compared to 25,670 Southern employees. This equates to 10% of Northern Ireland residents and 7.1% of Southern residents within the zone.

The 2006 Irish census (Table 1) showed that there was significant inward migration from the UK, particularly in Donegal where the proportion of UK born residents per constituency was 17.07% for Donegal North‐East and 14.17% for Donegal South West. Donegal’s demographic character and proximity to a significant urban centre such as Derry make it an inevitable commuter catchment area. Unsurprisingly, there is a high rate of Donegal workers who commute across the border for work. Donegal accounts for 59% of all ‘northbound’ cross‐border commuting and in some geographic areas over 10% of the local population were commuting to Derry11.

Table 1 below gives the list of counties in the Republic of Ireland with the highest incidence of residents working in Northern Ireland. Clearly, the most significant feature is the extent to which Donegal is ahead of the other counties and, in particular, the extent to which the commuting is pointed to Derry.

Resident Residents commuting to Northern Ireland County in Total Antrim Armagh Derry Down Fermanagh Tyrone Republic

Donegal 3,156 76 18 2,463 8 130 461

Monaghan 664 41 293 5 74 122 129

down to OA level using the same proportions. Of course this is open to error – it is a best‐fit scenario and all that can be done without an official release of data at the small area level for 2006.

11 Ó Séaghdha, Darach. April 2008. Does cross‐border commuting present a case for North South cooperation on housing policy in the Island of Ireland. Thesis Submitted MA in Public Management, IPA

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Louth 586 56 78 3 434 3 12

Cavan 372 9 7 0 10 338 8

Dublin 163 75 29 12 30 7 10

Leitrim 98 2 3 3 0 84 6

Meath 31 8 4 1 14 2 2

Kildare 28 9 1 4 4 7 3

Cork 23 10 0 9 2 2 0

Sligo 20 3 1 2 0 12 2

Table 1: Residents of Republic of Ireland commuting to work in Northern Ireland, CSO 2006

Table 2 provides a further breakdown of those people residing in Donegal who commute to Northern Ireland for work. For example, in the town of Kilderry, 21% of residents commuted to Derry.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Rank Donegal Geographic Area Local Population Pop. Commuting % to Derry

1 085 Kilderry 1,744 367 21.04%

2 086 Killea 1,547 224 14.48%

3 093 Three Trees 646 80 12.38%

4 070 Burt 1,264 149 11.79%

5 068 Birdstown 1,026 119 11.60%

6 074 Castleforward 909 105 11.55%

7 095 Whitecastle 883 79 8.95%

8 078 Fahan 1,476 116 7.86%

9 084 Inch Island 438 33 7.53%

10 091 Redcastle 791 59 7.46%

Table 2: Residents of County Donegal commuting to work in Northern Ireland, CSO 2006

The 2001 Northern Ireland Census also provides details of North Ireland residents travelling across the border to work in the Republic of Ireland. Note it does not provide details of the specific places where people travel to work within the Republic of Ireland but it clearly shows the increased propensity for cross‐border working in the border regions.

District In Employment Work in ROI % Work in ROI

Newry and Mourne 31,873 1,487 4.67%

Fermanagh 22,782 921 4.04%

Derry 36,225 721 1.99%

Omagh 18,607 405 2.18%

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Strabane 13,339 401 3.01%

Armagh 22,302 384 1.72%

Antrim 22,437 301 1.34%

Belfast 100,826 301 0.30%

Lisburn 47,400 293 0.62%

Dungannon 18,463 176 0.95%

Craigavon 32,994 161 0.49%

North Down 34,629 152 0.44%

Down 26,881 149 0.55%

Limavady 12,944 109 0.84%

Coleraine 23,156 106 0.46%

Banbridge 18,757 89 0.47%

Newtownabbey 36,291 85 0.23%

Ards 33,268 77 0.23%

Magherafelt 16,478 64 0.39%

Cookstown 12,385 50 0.40%

Castlereagh 30,242 46 0.15%

Carrickfergus 17,175 35 0.20%

Ballymena 26,500 33 0.12%

Moyle 5,949 26 0.44%

Larne 13,465 17 0.13%

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Ballymoney 11,274 16 0.14%

Northern Ireland 686,644 6,605 0.96%

Table 3: Northern Irish Residents Working in Republic of Ireland, NISRA 2001

The Census in the Republic of Ireland takes place every 5 years whereas the Census in Northern Ireland takes place every 10 years. The two Censuses were due to coincide on 29 April 2001, however the Irish Census was postponed for 1 year until 2002 due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease that had occurred at that time. There is agreement among Registrars General of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to conduct simultaneous Censuses in the year 2011 with comparable UK outputs. This will also tie in with the planned 2011 Census in the Republic of Ireland and provide a unique opportunity for comparison of north south data12.

5 Survey of Organisations in the NorthWest

5.1 Survey sample

This study contacted 64 organisations (39 North and 25 South) within the catchment area who between them employed 12,006 people (7, 991 North and 4,015 South) and asked them to identify any employees who resided on the other side of the border. This represented almost 30% of all employees within the catchment area, 13.75% North and 15.64% South.

The organisations included in the survey were selected at random from the best available data sources. These included listings held in‐house by the Derry Chamber of Commerce and the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, appropriate Enterprise Agencies and Enterprise Boards, and online databases such as the InvestNI Business Information database, www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk, the Industrial Development Authority, www.ida.ie, and the Letterkenny Online Information Centre,www.letterkennyonline.com.

12 North West Data Capture Project. 2008. North West Region Cross Border Group. Accessed at www.nwrcbg.org on 8 June 2010.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Organisations were included from different sectors13 including health (hospitals), retail (shops), tourism (tourism related industries), public (government departments, local councils), construction (construction related, building service industries), manufacturing, IT (Information technology), education (schools, universities, colleges), and services (Hotels).

Organisations included were categorised according to the size of their organisation using the EU definitions of micro organisation employing less than 10 employees, small organisation employing between 10 and 50 employees, medium organisation employing between 50 and 250 employees and large employers with over 250 employees.

Initial contact with organisations was made through the HR department for larger organisations and though the person responsible for salaries in organisations which did not have a defined HR department. In general, employees are not categorised within organisations as cross‐border commuters and organisations HR systems are not automatically programmed to produce the results of queries on cross‐border employees. Most organisations had to manually query employee records to answer this survey. In addition, several Freedom of Information (FoI) requests were logged to gain access to information for larger public sector organisations.

5.2 The Results

5.2.1 Numbers of crossborder employees, North and South

Figure 2 shows that 682 cross‐border workers were identified in Northern Ireland out of a possible 7,991 employees identified in Northern organisations and 183 cross‐border workers were identified in the Republic of Ireland out of a possible 4,015 employees identified in those Southern organisations.

13 The survey sample as used in the results was driven primarily by the willingness of participants to take part. An attempt to stratify the results was made by making sure there was at least one entry across each of the sectors and for each of the company sizes in both jurisdictions but this was not always possible within the sample geographical area.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Findings show the stronger flow of commuters from South to North with almost twice as many Southern residents employed in Northern Ireland (8.53%) compared to Northern residents employed in Southern Ireland (4.56%).

This equates to approximately 5,500 frontier workers in the North West region (using the 6.54% average14 of 8.53% and 4.56% cross‐border commuters against the total catchment area workforce i.e. 83,768 employees).

14 Note that the average of these two figures is used against the total population instead of using actual figures. This is because we have two set of information ‐ one which is based on address of company on one side of the border and one based on the address of the worker and because of the nature of the project – to estimate a total number of people moving across the border ‐ the author felt it was best to take an average. Using the actual figures would ignore factors such as:

‐ Is the person resident within the zone employed on the other side of the border within the 30km zone?

‐ Is the employee working at an organisation within the zone resident on the other side of the border within the 30km zone? Anecdotal evidence suggests that during the current recession people are travelling further to work

‐ It makes no assumption about where on the other side of the border they live or where the people live that live on the same side of the border – only that the company itself is within the 30km zone.

‐ The figures for working population are residency based – that is the people live within the 30km zone and work on the other side of the border. It makes no assumption again about where on the other side of the border they work only that they work on the other side of the border.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 2: Numbers of cross‐border employees identified in North and South survey sample

5.2.2 Scale of organisations with crossborder employees, North and South

Figure 3 looks in more depth at the scale and type of employers with cross‐border workers. Northern Ireland residents who travel across the border to work in the Republic of Ireland tend to be employed in micro organisations. Such Southern organisations tend to have almost a third (28%) of their employees coming from Northern Ireland. In contrast, Republic of Ireland residents who travel to Northern Ireland to work are employed in the range of different sized organisations with a tendency towards larger organisations (>250 employees).

As Figure 4: Numbers of Cross‐border employees by size of organisation shows, not unexpectedly, the bigger the organisation, the bigger the absolute number of cross‐border employees.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 3: Percentages of cross‐border employees by size of organisation

Figure 4: Numbers of cross‐border employees by size of organisation

Total Total Total Number of Number of Number of Cross‐Border Organisations Employees Employees Micro 14 61 12 Small 27 674 56 Medium 13 1693 89 Large 9 9578 704 Total 63 12006 861 Figure 5: Numbers of cross‐border employees by size of organisation

5.2.3 Organisation sector and crossborder employees, North and South

The nature of organisations which employ cross‐border commuters is also different on both sides of the border. Republic of Ireland residents commuting to Northern Ireland tend to work for larger

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership organisations particularly in the health, education and manufacturing sectors. Northern Ireland residents commuting south tend to work for smaller, IT or public sector organisations.

Figure 6: Percentage of cross‐border employees by organisation sector

A broader profile of cross‐border workers were found within organisations in Northern Ireland. In contrast, cross‐border workers in the Republic of Ireland were concentrated in manufacturing, IT, services, public service. For instance, no cross‐border employees in Republic of Ireland could be identified in construction, retail or education sector.

Figure 7: Numbers of cross‐border employees by organisation sector

Note, the statistics presented are minimum figures, as some employers were unable to provide this information despite extensive efforts.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

5.2.4 Extrapolate to entire border region

From the 2001 Northern Ireland Census there are 209,969 employed people within 30km of the border on the northern side and from the 2006 Census in the Republic of Ireland there are 149,071 employed people within 30km of the border on the southern side. Using the same average as before 6.54% applied to the total working border population gives 23,481 frontier workers. Previous reports15 have quoted 18,000 commuters (9,000 going each way). The nature of the north‐ west border region could explain the increase and further studies along the border with different characteristics such as Newry/Dundalk where greater traffic flows are in the other direction could help create an even more accurate picture.

Also, considering that the needs of the families of these frontier workers have wider implications beyond HR and employment issues then this sub‐population which have different needs and issues than the general population. Currently, there is no centralised point addressing these needs within public administration on either side of the border. A further study should be undertaken to explore the possible use of existing datasets within Government Departments and Agencies to target public administration facilitation for cross‐border commuters.

15 PwC / Indecon Economic Consultants. 2001. Study of Obstacles to cross‐border mobility. North South Ministreial Council, Armagh

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

6 Maps

These findings are easier to visualise once presented as maps. A series of self‐explanatory maps has been produced which show the location of organisations surveyed and their accompanying scale of cross‐border employees within the defined catchment area. Figure 7 shows the location of the 64 organisations which cluster on the main urban areas.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 8: Location of 64 surveyed organisations within the catchment area

Figure 8 shows the scale of commuting within the catchment area, 8.53% of cross‐border employees travelling South to North and 4.56% travelling North to South.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 9: The scale and direction of cross‐border employees within the North West

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 9 shows the location of large‐sized organisations (>250 employees) displaying their scale and the proportion of cross‐border employees.

Figure 10: The location of large‐sized organisations (>250 employees) surveyed

Figure 10 shows the location of medium‐sized organisations (51‐250 employees) displaying their scale and the proportion of cross‐border employees. 26

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 11: The location of medium‐ sized organisations (51 to 250 employees) surveyed

Figure 11 shows the location of small‐sized organisations (10‐50 employees) displaying their scale and the proportion of cross‐border employees.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 12: The location of small‐sized organisations (10 to 50 employees) surveyed

Figure 12 shows the location of micro‐sized organisations (<10 employees) displaying their scale and the proportion of cross‐border employees.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 13: The location of micro‐sized organisations (<10 employees) surveyed

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

7 Supplementary Statistics

Whenever possible, North‐South statistics were gathered from government departments and agencies and other organisations to provide insights into cross‐border commuting patterns within the North West region.

7.1 North South Traffic Flows

As part of the Republic of Ireland Census 2006 processing programme the place of work details of all employed persons who undertook a journey to work were geo‐coded. This dataset is known as the 2006 Census Place of Work ‐ Census of Anonymised Records (POWCAR). Figure 13 shows the 2007 average daily traffic on the main border crossings. Those crossings in the North‐West, A2 Buncranna to Derry and A38 Lifford bridge to Strabane, were the busiest cross‐border routes during the average working week with 18,290 and 19,290 crossing respectively. This represents higher volumes of traffic than the Dundalk/Newry crossing the mid‐way point of the Dublin Belfast economic corridor.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 14: Annual Average Daily Traffic (5 day week) flows at Border Traffic Census collection points, 2007 (total flows in/out)

Further statistics on border crossings were provided by the Lough Foyle ferry company which operates from the Greencastle to Magilligan showing on average 50 cars using the cross‐border ferry on a weekday and 100 cars at the weekend.

Figure 15: Average number of daily passengers and cars on cross‐border ferry (1 Jan ‐ 21 Mar 2010)

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

7.2 Crossborder births

Statistics on births within Northern Ireland hospitals to women resident in the Republic of Ireland provide a good insight into cross‐border healthcare use (provided by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency NISRA). In 2008 there were 593 births in Northern Ireland hospitals to mothers resident in the Republic of Ireland, this statistic has increased from 204 in 2000. Unsurprisingly, the majority of these births are recorded in those health boards adjoining the border, the Southern and Western Health Boards. The statistics could not be broken down further into whether these mothers have the right to access healthcare in the north through the fact that they work in the north or whether they paid to access these service privately.

There is no evidence of mothers choosing to give birth in a southern hospital when they have access to NHS services through their residence no matter where they work.

Figure 16: Births in Northern Ireland by residents of the Republic of Ireland, by NI Health Board

7.3 Crossborder Education

InterTradeIreland, the cross‐border trade and business body, provide North‐South education statistics on their website (www.intertradeireland.com). Figure 16 shows the wide disparity in North‐ South commuting for education between 2000 and 2007, with approximately four times more Republic of Ireland students travelling North for education compared to the flow in the opposite direction. While the statistics are relatively stable with a small level of growth in both directions between 2000 and 2006, the picture changed in 2006‐2007 with the numbers of students travelling South to North dropping dramatically from 4,655 to 3,865. 32

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 17: Number of students travelling across the border for education, 2000 ‐ 2007

7.4 Crossborder shopping

In 2008 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) included for the first time a question on cross‐border commuting, in response to the large volumes of people who appeared to be shopping across the border. The QNHS estimated that the total Irish household expenditure on shopping in Northern Ireland in the year since April‐June 2008 was €435 million. Cross‐border shopping is not a new phenomenon16 and while it has increased it still accounts for less than 1.4% of total retail expenditure. However, there is likely to be a disproportionate effect in border counties where the highest total expenditure (€181m) was recorded.

7.5 Currrency

The economies of the border region are particularly susceptible to fluctuations in currency between the Euro in the Republic of Ireland and Sterling in Northern Ireland. Figure 17 shows the convergence in values of the Euro and Sterling in recent times which has contributed to the increase in cross‐border shopping.

16 Fitzgerald J, Quinn JP, Whelan B and Williams J (1988) An Analysis of Cross Border Shopping. ESRI, Dublin.

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

Figure 18: Euro/ Sterling exchange rates sourced from the European Central Bank

Measuring Mobility in a Changing Island EURES Cross Border Partnership

8 Conclusions

This quick, time‐limited exploratory study identifying where cross‐border commuters in the North West are employed, and in what volume is the first study that documents patterns of cross‐border commuting linked directly to specific organisations.

A sample of 64 organisations located within 30km on each side of the border, who between them account for almost 30% of employees within the North‐West region, was examined. It is estimated that within the North‐West there exists 5,500 cross‐border commuters with a stronger flow of commuters from South to North. There are almost twice as many Republic of Ireland residents employed in Northern Ireland (8.53% South to North) compared to Northern residents employed in the Republic of Ireland (4.56% North to South). Extrapolating our data across the entire border region, we would estimate a total 23,481 cross‐border commuters exist.

Discussions with government departments and agencies in a quest to gather statistics suggest that cross‐border mobility is still not catered for within the psyche of the public sector in either jurisdiction. The current public sector reforms do not provide for cross‐border commuters. The system does not appear to be changing; instead individuals are becoming better informed about the two systems to cater for their own needs. It is prudent to suggest, given the experience of the Centre for Cross Border Studies, that these cross‐border commuters and their extended families may have different cross‐border needs than the general population. Currently, there is no centralised point addressing these needs within public administration on either side of the border. A further study should be undertaken to explore the possible use of existing datasets within Government Departments and Agencies to target public administration facilitation for cross‐border commuters.