Globalisation means the movement of migrants is only going to increase

The world is on the move and Europe will be the destination of choice for ever more people in the decades to come

Migrants and refugees paddling a rubber dinghy approach the beach at Psalidi near Kos Town, Kos, Greece. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday August 21, 2015. See PA story POLITICS Kos. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Dan O'Brien

Although the push and pull factors driving the movement of people around the planet are complex, migration from poorer parts of the world to richer parts has been on the rise. It is unlikely to go into reverse in the foreseeable future. It is much more likely that the numbers moving will grow.

This can be seen from the most recent developments in Ireland. Despite an unemployment rate of over 10pc in the latest year for which the newly released migration figures cover (the 12 months to last April), almost 70,000 people moved to Ireland, a very high number by historical standards and higher than any year before 2004 when the EU almost doubled its membership.