The number of people working in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector fell by 6,600 people over the 12 months to quarter two 2023, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
Although the latest Labour Force Survey released today (Thursday, August 24) by the CSO shows a jump of 88,400 in the overall number of people in work in the year to quarter two, the sector which recorded the largest drop of people in employment was agriculture, forestry and fishing.
In contrast the sectors which saw the biggest jump in employment was public administration and defence.
According to the CSO the number of people with a job in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector fell by 6.3% in the year to quarter two bringing total employment in the sector down to an estimated 99,200 from 105,800 a year earlier.
According to the latest Labour Force Survey the total number of people with a job rose to 2,629,300 in quarter two of this year – up from 2,554,600 a year earlier.
The increase in the number of people in work was made up of an additional 25,900 males and a further 62,500 females in employment.
The employment rate was lowest among those aged 15-19 years (28.4%) and highest among those aged 35-44 years (85.6%).
Meanwhile the rate of youth employment, for those aged 15-24, stood at 48.0% and was slightly higher for females (48.6%) than for males (47.5%).
According to the CSO the number of employees increased by 94,100 (4.3%) in the year to quarter two this year to 2,286,200, while the number of self-employed decreased by 5,500 (1.6%) to 335,400.
The latest statistics also highlight that employment increased throughout the country – based on Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) – with the mid-east region recording the largest increase in people in employment.
The CSO also examined absences from work and hours worked in its latest report.
The latest figures show there was a reduction in the number of hours worked per week in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in quarter two 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier.
In quarter two this year the total number of hours per week worked by people with a job in the sector dropped back to 4.5 million from 4.8 million a year earlier and 5 million in the same period in 2021.
The latest CSO figures also suggest there has been an increase in the rate of absences from work in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in quarter two 2023.