Some 50,000 people are set to emigrate from Ireland in 2011, according to the latest economic forecast from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), released Thursday, according to dpa. The latest figures mean that emigration is now worse than it was in the recession of the 1980s, when it peaked with 44,000 leaving the country in 1989. The state-funded think tank predicted that at least 25,000 jobs will be lost this year. Unemployment is forecast to average 13.5 per cent this year, dropping slightly to 13 per cent next year. In its latest quarterly commentary, the ESRI forecasts growth for the Irish economy of 2.25 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year. Gross national product, which excludes multinational profits, should grow by a 0.25 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next year. This growth will be driven by continuing strong export performance. -- SPA
