Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Jun 1991

Vol. 409 No. 6

Written Answers. - National Workforce.

Jim Mitchell

Ceist:

62 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the latest estimate of the number in the national workforce; whether those include persons up to 65 years of age; and if so, the percentage of the work force inclusive of those on PRETA and PRECS, who are now without a job.

The Taoiseach

The latest estimate of the labour force based on the 1990 Labour Force survey preliminary results is 1,303,000. The reference period is mid-April 1990.

The labour force comprehends all persons aged 15 or over at the time of the survey who were either at work or unemployed, having lost/given up previous job or looking for first regular job.

Persons on the pre-retirement allowance (PRETA) and pre-retirement credits (PRECS) schemes make a declaration that they have retired from the labour market. Such persons are properly excluded from the live register on the basis of this declaration.

The aggregate of those on the live register and those on PRETA and PRECS as at 31 May 1991 was 253,006. This represents 19.4 per cent of the mid-April 1990 labour force.