‘Always on the Move, but Going Nowhere Fast’: Motivations for ‘Euro-commuting’ between the Republic of Ireland and Other EU States

Abstract

This article analyses the mobility motivations of an under-studied stream of intra-European migrants, namely that of cross-border commuters between two or more European states-or 'Euro-commuters'. Based on in-depth interviews with high-skilled, professional Euro-commuters between the Republic of Ireland and other European Union (EU) states, I ask whether Euro-commuting is a mobility strategy to mitigate the longer-term separations more conventional migrations entail. I show how this migrant group display several shared characteristics (socio-economic, class, age and occupational backgrounds) but that they are far from a homogenous social group. I outline how Euro-commuters' migration motivations fall into three main categories: first, the 'select', whose motivations correlate broadly with issues to do with lifestyle; second, the 'strivers', whose motivations reflect aspirations primarily around social mobility; and third, the 'survivors', whose motivations reflect complex livelihood strategies, with Eurocommuting affording a means to earn a living, but, equally, also offsetting the threat of social demotion from the Irish middle class. The analysis presented here is significant, first, because it illuminates our understanding of this little-studied aspect of contemporary intra-European mobility. Second, and more significantly, amid intensifying intra-EU mobilities, it illustrates the inherent, vexed tensions across the EU between mobile and sedentary lives, mobilities and immobilities.

Migration aspirations of European youth in times of crisis

“…Van Mol 2014), retirement migrants (e.g. King, Warnes, and Williams 2000) and cross-border commuters (Ralph 2015). Nevertheless, while explorations of adults' motivations for migration are relatively commonplace, we know less about young people's motivations for transnational movements or the lack of them.…”

Coming Home During Coronavirus: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ireland’s returning young migrants

“…"We knew we'd be better off abroad": Motivations for emigration and the perceived benefits of migration Despite being traditionally associated with the movement of economically disadvantaged groups, livelihood migration is equally pertinent to affluent, skilled migrants moving both within and between high-income countries (Ralph 2015). The mobility strategies of these migrants are similarly informed by opportunities for increased earnings or by contraction of their earning potential in their country of origin; people arguably choose to invest in migration as they would into education or training, if the expected rate of return from higher wages in the destination country is greater than the cost of migrating (Chiswick 1999;Ralph 2015). Even for young people in relatively prosperous societies such as Ireland, a capacity to be transnationally mobile can be crucial in terms of maximising livelihoods; it also acts as a 'safety valve', releasing pressure from the state welfare system during periods of high unemployment and stagnation in the domestic labour market.…”

Staying and immobility: new concepts in population geography? A literature review

“…The topic of immobilities further emerges in the broad discourse on multi-locality. Although multi-locality is widely acknowledged as an indicator for increased mobility, intensified multi-local tendencies have also been associated with a reduced readiness to move (see Ralph, 2015) and thus represent a form of immobility (see Danielzyk et al, 2016).…”