UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE Irish Traveller community was 84.3 per cent in 2011, up from 74.9 per cent five years earlier, according to the latest census figures.

Out of a total workforce of 9,973, 86.6 per cent of the men and 81.2 per cent of the women were out of work.

There are 29,573 members of the Travelling community in Ireland, accounting for just over half of one per cent (0.6 per cent) of the Irish population. Co Galway has the highest number of travellers, with 2,467 members, while Waterford has the lowest. 152 travellers live in the county.

Other key findings of the census found that:

• The average age of Irish Travellers is 22.4 compared to 36.1 for the general population
• One per cent of Travellers (115) went to third level education in 2011 compared with 30.7 per cent overall
• 27 per cent of Traveller women had five or more children compared with 2.6 per cent of women overall
• 17.5 per cent of Travellers have one or more disabilities compared with 13 per cent in the state as a whole

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