Unemployment rates have dropped significantly in some of the country’s most deprived areas, narrowing the gap between them and more affluent communities, according to new research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Drawing on Census data from 2016 and 2022, the study, commissioned by Pobal, examined changes in socioeconomic conditions and barriers to social inclusion across the country.
It found notable improvements in employment, education, and lone parenthood rates at the local level. However, it also highlighted growing challenges around health and disability.
The most marked decrease in unemployment occurred in rural areas and “independent urban towns”—settlements of 1,500 to 49,999 people, where fewer than 20 per cent of residents work in cities.
In 2016, unemployment in these towns was as high as 11 per cent, compared to just 5 per cent in rural areas with strong urban influence.
By 2022, those figures had dropped to 6 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.