Only 11.2 per cent of adults in the southeast region have completed third-level education to degree level or higher, compared with 15.6 per cent nationally and 21.3 per cent in Dublin.
Campaigners for a new university in Waterford say that the recently-released figures from Census 2006 support their case that the region's economy is suffering because of "the lack of accessible university education".
According to Central Statistics Office data, overall unemployment in Waterford is almost 50 per cent higher than the national average, and the city contains six of the State's worst employment "blackspots", where over 23 per cent of people have no job.
Redmond O'Donoghue, chairman of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), said: "The risk of unemployment is nearly five times higher for a person with only a primary education than for someone who has completed a third-level course at degree level or higher. The region must no longer be allowed to lag behind and be required to compete without a university."
Politicians of all parties, local authorities and business leaders in the State's fifth-largest city have been campaigning to have the institute upgraded to university status. Last year, the Government appointed Dr Jim Port, a British "independent consultant on higher education", to assess the merits of the application and report to the Minister for Education. It is understood that Minister for Education Mary Hanafin will receive his report shortly. Mr O'Donoghue called on the Government to act on the report "without any undue delay".
Referring to the study published by the ESRI and Fás on the structure of the Irish labour market in 2012, Mr O'Donoghue said that significant job growth was predicted in business and finance, health, law and education.
"We must have the 'university of the southeast' established as quickly as possible to provide the necessary graduates with the high-level qualifications identified by this study."
Noting that the forecasts suggested a continuing strong demand for science, engineering, computing and software professionals and technicians, he said that this underscored the need for "continued emphasis on science and technology within the Irish education and training systems".
