Irish Rural Link says yesterday’s CSO report which highlights the disparity of Household Income across Ireland is proof that balanced regional development has not yet been achieved.
Donegal was the county with the lowest household income, Carndonagh was the lowest electoral area, and Lifford was the lowest town.
Irish Rural Link’s Chief Executive Seamus Boland says the lower income in Donegal, Leitrim and other rural counties is a reflection of the quality of the jobs available in these areas.
He says there’s a lot to do if balanced regional development is to be achieved………
Release in full –
Irish Rural Link welcome CSO Report on Incomes in Ireland
Irish Rural Link – the national network representing the interest of rural communities, welcome the findings in the CSO report on the disparity of Household Income across Ireland
For many years, Irish Rural Link has highlighted the low incomes of rural households. This report by the CSO confirms this. Carndonagh Local Electoral Area in Donegal had the lowest household income of €35,614, with the household income for Lifford of €31,959. Donegal as a whole had the lowest household income in the country at €42,497.
Leitrim, Longford and Kerry had the lowest household income in their region at €45,267, €47,217 and €48,320 respectively.
The lower income in these counties is a reflection of the quality of the jobs available in these areas. Many of the jobs in these counties and within the rural towns of these counties are minimum wage and precarious working hours, in sectors like tourism, retail, low skill manufacturing, etc. We know from our members and research from colleagues in Vincentian MESL Research Centre that households in rural areas working in minimum wage jobs have a deeper income inadequacy than peer households in urban areas. The extra cost of keeping a car on the road, and for most families, two cars, which adds to family household expenses.
With remote working, while not a silver bullet, can go some way to improve job opportunities, we continue to call for more regionally balanced approach to job creation and also better recognition of the jobs created in the sectors of tourism, retail, hospitality, that are important contributors to the overall economy.
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