68% of 18–24-year-olds are considering moving abroad

0:00Saturday, September 26, two of combat sports most dangerous strikers collide. Bear Knuckle. Liverpool's own down in the Gorilla Till goes to Moore with Cuban Powerhouse LL soldier of God Romero. Plus the Bear Knuckle Midowent Championship of the world is on the line. When the rating champ Dave Varedneck Mundell defends against undefeated British challenger, Jack Demeek Cleaver-Colin, BKFC 94, Till versus Romero. Watch it live only on the zone. Sign up now at thezone.com. News talk breakfast with Anton Savage in association with air. A survey from the National Youth Council of Ireland, seven in ten young adults considering moving abroad for a better quality of life. The NYCI is calling for several measures to improve their quality of life in budget 2020, seven including the abolition of sub minimum rates of pay and free public transport for everyone under 25.

1:00Grace McMannis, good morning. Good morning. How are you? NYCI Policy and Campaigns Manager. There's definitely unhappy grace. I mean, that's clear. Absolutely, and I think it's important that that's that's red within the context of the other stats that came out of this polling. So nine and ten young adults telling us that they've been negatively impacted by cost of living. They're really concerned around rent, accommodation costs, college fees, food and groceries, things that we would consider, I suppose, the basics. And nine and ten of them are concerned about finding well-paid work. So our concern is that it's not them just looking for an adventure and maybe experiencing life overseas for a year. It's that they don't feel as a path to an independent and sustainable life here because of those factors. Grace, how much of this? I don't mean to offend the survey. But how much of this is based in this collective, this group thing that are this country's a kippin' I need to get out of here? Because that is a narrative that you get a lot from young people.

2:03And I have to say it's not based in reality. I don't, I'm not sure I agree when you look at things even historically. So before the crash, when the crash happened, obviously employment was a significant issue for everybody. At the overall employment levels have recovered, but youths unemployment has not recovered to the same race. You see the highest rents that we've ever had in the state. And that's what young people are facing into home ownership. The age of the average homeowner now is that it's really way out of the reach of those under 30, never mind, under 25. And food and groceries, yes, that's gone up for the whole population, but young people are feeling that too. And interestingly in this polling, young people told us that commuting costs had become more of a difficulty over the last year. And that was before the recent public transport costs increases were announced. So I think it's something that I... None of those are reasons to leave the country though. I mean, they are problems that we have to face as a society.

3:04They are a collective issue. Where's their sense of nationalism? Where's their sense of pride in their country that the first thing they want to do is go to fingers, I'm leaving. I don't want to solve the problem. I want to get out. That's interesting. It doesn't say that that's the first thing that they've considered. It just tells us that they are considering. And I think it's really on the government and on us as a state to make them have a place that they can set up a life in. I don't think it's fair for us to expect them to live in their parents' box rooms indefinitely, to not be able to afford to go to social events, to have to travel. I was talking to a young person recently who gets up at five, six in the morning, commutes to work, works, and then gets home by eight or nine at night because they can't afford to live in the city where they're working. And then they are absolutely exhausted all weekend. Same for college students. I'm sure you've spoken to them as well. Oh, no, that's... It's a huge... And you know, when you say it and when you put it like that, those people are in a terrible situation, aren't they? Because the likelihood of that being fixed on the wages that they're on is probably nonexistent.

4:07So therefore, they are trapped in the fact that yes, there is a job, but it's in the wrong place to where they live. Absolutely. And it's not that they're asking, oh, we want luxury. We want to be able to go on holidays and we want to be able to have the best car. They're talking about the basics, a place to live, to be able to further their education and contribute to the economy, to be able to afford food and groceries, to be able to travel, to travel to work. So these are very basic things. And I think that it's on society. And it's on the government and the budget to make targeted measures in order for young people to be able to build a life here if they so wish. OK, we'll get our list of thoughts in that 8,714, 116 for your WhatsApp, Grace McMannis, National Youth Council of Ireland Policy and Campaigns Manager. Thank you. News talk breakfast with Anton Savage. In association with air. Weekday mornings at 7. News talk. Conversation that counts.