A new study has revealed almost a quarter of children in Ireland are growing up in a household where nobody is employed.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report found the nation has more households without a job than anywhere else in the European Union (EU).

However, it also implied that generous welfare payments ensure many of these people are not at risk of poverty.

Around 22.8 per cent of Irish people live in jobless homes compared with the EU average of ten per cent.

According to the ESRI report, the high rate in Ireland is partly due to the level of unemployment, but also reflects the high birth rate, large size of families and large number of people under the working age.

Report author Dorothy Watson said: "While unemployment is clearly important in accounting for the high level of joblessness in Ireland, it is far from being the dominant factor."

Written by Donal Walsh

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