Number of over-65s in employment rises, CSO figures show

The number of people in that age bracket employed in March jumped more than 14% in annual terms, according to the new data

The CSO figures show the sectors showing the largest annual increases in employment in March were public administration & defence, and transportation & storage, both up almost 6%.

The number of people aged 65 or over in employment in the Republic has increased amid an overall tight labour market, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed.

The number of people in that age bracket that were employed in March jumped more than 14% in annual terms, according to the figures.

The sectors showing the largest annual increases in employment during this period were public administration and defence, which was up almost 6%, and transportation and storage which also rose by nearly 6%.

The sector that recorded the largest decrease in employment levels during this time was information and communication, which declined by 4.1%.

This trend has continued into this year as, in monthly terms, the sectors that observed the largest decreases in employment levels in March were accommodation and food service activities and information and communication.

The areas that recorded an increase last month were the professional, scientific and technical sector, which was up by 1.1% in March.

The overall number of people in employment rose 2.4% in the 12 months to March. The number of men in employment crept up 2.1% while the level of women employees rose slightly higher, by 2.7% year on year.