Almost 9,000 are employed in retail
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS DECREASED BY 7.4 PER CENT SINCE 2011
A SNAPSHOT of Wexford’s employment from Census 2016 shows that the largest industrial sector in the county was the wholesale and retail trade accounting for 8,701 workers (15.1 per cent).
Manufacturing was the next largest, with 6,323 workers (10.9 per cent). The top five was completed by human health and social work activities (10.3 per cent), education (8.5 per cent) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (7.5 per cent).
The 4,310 persons working in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector was 39 more than in 2011. A further 4,002 persons (6.9 per cent) were employed in construction, compared with 3,233 five years previously.
Total unemployment in the county was 11,478 giving an unemployment rate of 16.6 per cent, compared with 24 per cent in April 2011. Nationally, the unemployment rate recorded by Census 2016 was 12.9 per cent. Of the unemployed in the county, 1,122 (9.8 per cent) were first-time job seekers.
Among Wexford’s unemployed, 85.3 per cent were Irish nationals, compared with 86.2 per cent in 2011, while 14.7 per cent were non-Irish nationals, up from 13.8 per cent five years previously.
In Wexford county as a whole 116,770 people are listed as being aged 15 years and over. Of these 11,225 are classed as employers while 46,328 are employees. 206 are assisting a relative while 1,122 are unemployed looking for their first regular job.
10,356 are unemployed having lost or given up a previous job while 11,045 are students.
11,639 are looking after the home/family while 18,610 are retired. 5,892 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability while 347 have another economic status.
The total labour force in Wexford in 2016 was 69,237 while is an increase of almost 2,000 on the 2011 figure. Of these 69,237 people 57,759 are described as being at work.
The wholesale and retail trade and the repair of vehicles and motorcycles account for 8,701 (15.1 per cent) of the Wexford workforce while manufacturing accounts for 6,323 (10.9 per cent).
Human health and social work activities account for 5,975 (10.3 per cent) and education accounts for 4,915 (8.5 per cent). 4,310 workers or 7.5 per cent are in the agricultural, forestry and fishing field.
11,478 people were classed as unemployed in Census 2016 giving an unemployment rate of 16.6 per cent which was a decrease of 7.4 per cent since Census 2011. 1,122 of these were looking for their first job while 10,356 were unemployed having lost or given up their job.
A total of 85.3 per cent of those unemployed in Wexford were Irish nationals while the remaining 14.7 per cent were non-nationals.
Nationally the figures show that the number of people at work in Ireland in April 2016 increased to just over 2 million (up 11 per cent). The numbers of people looking after the home/family continued to decline, falling by 10.1 per cent to 305,556 while the numbers of retired persons increased to 545,407, up 88,013 (19.2 per cent) on 2011.
A closer look at the Wexford figures show that in Wexford town there are 16,403 people aged 15 and over. Of these 910 describe themselves as an employer or own account worker. 7,009 are listed as employees while nine describe themselves as assisting a relative.
151 are unemployed looking for their first regular job while 1,523 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job. 1,381 are students while 1,337 are looking after the home.
2,956 are retired and 1,070 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability. 57 people are listed as having another economic status.
In Enniscorthy town there are 8,922 people aged 15 years or over, 377 of whom are employers or own account workers.
3,432 are employees, twelve are assisting relatives and 201 are unemployed and looking for their first regular job.
1,184 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job and 734 are listed as a student.
892 are looking after the home or family while 1,395 are retired. 664 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability. 31 are listed as other economic status.
In Gorey there are 7,333 people aged 15 years and over. 398 of these are described as an employer or own account worker while 3,326 are employees. Seven people are assisting a relative while 78 are unemployed looking for their first regular job.
850 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job while 648 are students. 723 are looking after home and family while 920 are retired. 358 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability and two have another economic status.
In New Ross there are 6,329 people aged 15 years or over, 319 of whom are employers or own account workers.
2,606 are employees, eleven are assisting relatives and 121 are unemployed and looking for their first regular job.
857 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job and 525 are listed as a student.
559 are looking after the home or family while 964 are retired. 354 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability. 13 are listed as other economic status.
In Courtown Harbour there are 2,705 people aged 15 years and over. 151 of these are described as an employer or own account worker while 997 are employees. Two people are assisting a relative while 24 are unemployed looking for their first regular job.
385 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job while 245 are students. 283 are looking after home and family while 432 are retired. 176 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability and ten have another economic status.
In Bunclody- Carrigduff there are 1,502 people aged 15 years and over of whom 67 are employers or own account workers. 558 are employees while six are assisting a relative.
Twenty-five people are unemployed looking for their first regular job while 224 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job. 107 are students, 177 people are looking after the home/family while 273 are retired.
Sixty one people are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability while four people have another economic status.
In Rosslare 1,265 people are listed as being 15 years and over.
Of these 95 are employers; 462 are employees; one is assisting a relative; six are unemployed and looking for their first regular job; 96 are unemployed having lost or given up their previous job; 87 are students; 125 are looking after the home and family; 338 are retired; 44 are unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability and eleven have another economic status.
Deirdre Cullen, Senior Statistician, said: ‘ This report analyses the world of work in Ireland in 2016, with a particular focus on changes in the numbers at work by occupations and industrial sectors. It also looks at the profile of the non-Irish national population in the workforce. All of this data is now available on the CSO website, www.cso.ie.’
The labour force in Wexford is 69,237, an increase of almost 2,000 in five years