Unemployed people head one in 12 mortgaged homes

One in 12 households with a mortgage is headed by an unemployed person, it has been revealed.

More than 50,000 homeowners were out of work on the night of last year’s census. The CSO said half of these did not have anyone in the household with a job.

Most recent figures from the Central Bank revealed that 128,000 mortgages — 11% of accounts — are behind on repayments, with 961 homes repossessed by the end of June.