Just over a quarter of the foreign nationals who had been allocated PPS numbers at the height of the boom were in any kind of work in 2011, figures just published by the CSO indicate.
Of the 204,000 foreign nationals aged 15 and over who were assigned numbers in 2006, just 55,000 or 27 per cent had “employment activity” in 2011.
It compares with the 120,360, or 59 per cent, of them who had work in 2006 and 2007. Employment activity can mean any work in the formal economy during the year at all.
The statistics are drawn from an analysis of figures from the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection, from 2006 to 2011. They also look at any social welfare activity as well as “activity” in both employment and welfare by the same individual.
The numbers of PPS numbers being allocated annually to foreign nationals has fallen steadily since 2006, to 58,300 in 2011.
Looking at the 2006 cohort, their numbers in employment increased slightly in 2007 to 121,000 but then fell back to 95,000 in 2008, 72,000 in 2009, 61,000 in 2010 and 56,000 in 2011.
Their social welfare activity, however, increased from 19,000 (8 per cent) in 2006 up to 56,176 (32 per cent) in 2011.
“It should be noted,” said a statement from the CSO, “that there are several possible reasons for this increase: the birth of a child leading to a child benefit claim, jobseeker’s claims and the fact that some benefits depend on habitual residency requirements or on having sufficient social insurance contributions.”
Those engaged in both employment and welfare activity (many of whom may also be recorded separately in the employment and welfare statistics) fell from 131,000 in 2006 to 82,382 in 2011.
