Housing crisis is main barrier for emigrants

THE housing crisis is the single biggest barrier preventing emigrants from returning home to their families after the recession, a new Government survey has revealed.

Four-out-of-five emigrants who want to come home said buying or renting accommodation was the greatest difficulty they faced should they return to Ireland.

Emigrants forced to leave during the financial crisis viewed the housing shortage as a bigger barrier than those who left before the crash.

The survey, commissioned by Diaspora Minister Ciarán Cannon, found emigrants between 25 and 34 years old were the most likely to see the housing crisis as a barrier to returning home.