Dublin, Dec 13 (IANS): Jobseekers in Ireland have been asked to find work abroad in an effort to reduce unemployment benefits, a British daily reported Friday.
The letter, sent to some 6,000 unemployed people by the Irish government, also suggests that the jobs in other European countries were poorly paid but came with a "Mediterranean" climate, said a Financial Times report.
The government has defended the move, saying that no one is being forced to leave the country if they don't want to.
Ireland is to become the first eurozone country to exit a stringent bailout programme after the country's finances collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.
Unemployment has eased in recent months, falling to its lowest level in four years in November at 12.5 percent, but youth unemployment remains a problem with one in four Irish under 25 still unemployed.