CSO figures reveal extent of disposable income in counties
Individuals in Cork and Kerry have, on average, €18,915 and €16,653 available to spend, compared with only €15,178 in Donegal and €16,372 in Roscommon, according to new estimates.
The CSO said that Dublin, Limerick and Cork were the only counties on average to exceed the state-wide disposable income average of €18,707. The figures cover 2013 and assess all types of income, including wages, social transfers, and rents, and then subtracts taxes.
They also show that Dublin comes out on top with an average disposable income per person of €20,885.
Preliminary figures for 2014 tell a similar story but suggest average disposable income in Cork had risen to €19,532, and to €21,633 in Dublin.
Separate figures published by the CSO on jobs and unemployment could provide ammunition for both coalition and opposition parties in the final lap of the election campaign. More people are in work, but previous sharp falls in the jobless rate may be slowing dramatically.
The latest Quarterly National Household Survey showed 44,100 more people were at work in the final quarter of last year compared with the same period in 2014.
The survey may also raise concerns that long-term unemployment remains stubbornly high. At 7.4%, unemployment is lowest in the south-west region, and is highest in the south-east, at 11.9%, figures for the final quarter of 2015 showed. Dublin’s unemployment is at 7.6%. Unemployment has fallen from its peak in early 2012 of over 15%.
The construction industry created almost 10,000 jobs, though many building workers remain among the long-term unemployed.
Twelve of the 14 industries the CSO tracks employed more people, while the number of jobs in finance, insurance and selling property fell by 4,000 in the year.
More than half of all people unemployed in the last three months of 2015 were categorised as long-term unemployed.
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