South ‘drinks more and works harder’

WE drink more and work harder and longer than our counterparts in the North, according to latest official figures.

The Central Statistics census also found more of us get married. We have a higher percentage of younger people and have more people out of work.

In the Republic, people work an average of 37 hours a week, compared to 35 in the North. According to Ireland: North and South: A Statistical Profile, unemployment fell on both sides of the Border between 1998 and 2003 by 8% in the South and 5% in the North.