How people emigrating from Northern Ireland may affect the Northern Ireland economy

Emigration is the movement of people from their own country to live in another country. So therefore an emigrant is someone who exits their own country to go and live in another country.

For hundreds of years people have been emigrating from Northern Ireland and moved to places such as America, Australia, England, Scotland and many other countries. Usually they emigrated for better opportunities, a better way of life, for work or to be closer to family and/or friends.

However, for the Northern Ireland economy, this may have an impact as:

- the emigrants will no longer be spending money in Northern Ireland and so this would mean that there is not the same money for the local economy.

- young skilled professionals leave Northern Ireland for work in others countries and this can leave a skills gap in Northern Ireland and the economy can suffer as businesses do not have people in position, with the skills required, to complete the jobs to a high standard.