Jobless almost 12,000 in third quarter last year

Almost seven per cent of the population was without a job between July and September, according to official statistics.

There were 11,986 jobless and 162,567 employed people in the period in question, according to the Labour Force Survey issued by the National Statistics Office.

Another 175,851 were registered as inactive, the survey said.

The majority of working men, 17.7 per cent, were employed in the manufacturing industry, followed by 15.5 per cent in wholesale and retail trade.

Women were found predominately, 17.1 per cent, in education-related activities while another 13.7 per cent worked in the health and social work sector.

Out of those listed as employed, almost 12.7 per cent said they were self-employed.

The majority work on a full-time basis: 146,510, or almost 90 per cent.

More women were likely to have a part-time job or a full-time job with reduced hours, the report said.

The average gross annual salary was estimated at €13,873, which is equivalent to the basic salary and excludes extra payments such as overtime, bonuses and allowances.

Most of the unemployed were aged between 15 and 24 with the majority of unemployed men looking for a job for at least one year.