Donegal people have consistently lower disposable incomes than the rest of the country according to income trends.
The average disposable income in Donegal currently stands at €15,921, the lowest in the Western Region.
This is significantly lower than the highest level, which is €17,735 in Galway.
Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle commented on the figures, which were published by the Western Development Commission.
“The findings come as no surprise to the people of Donegal. The report highlights that regional disparities have been widening since recovery began and that while unemployment might be declining it is happening at a much slower pace than the rest of the country.
“It’s clear from this report that Donegal is a low wage county. There aren’t many well -paying jobs or even full time jobs when you compare it to other regions in Ireland,” he said.
Pringle said that support networks are vital to people in Donegal, but that this has not been addressed by the current Government.
“The report showed just how significant social transfers are to household incomes in Donegal which make up 41% of household disposable income: the highest in the country. That’s why income supports such as Jobseekers and Farm Assist are vital to people in Donegal but Budget 2016 failed to address this and so has the Government overall,” he said.
An improved infrastructure and resolution of connectivity issues would support the county, he added.
“Regional inequality needs to become a priority for the next Government. Prioritising roll out of broadband to the peripheral regions first, working its way towards more developed areas is a good start. Development of local, sustainable rural jobs is a must and support for a biomass sector could facilitate this.
“Instead, the Government is obsessed with bringing in quick and easy jobs without any concern for the quality of those jobs. This is coming at the cost of the employee who ends up in more precarious work as a result and even more reliant on income supports. Seasonal workers and part time workers in Donegal are continuously coming across this trend,” said Pringle.
(Source – Donegal Now – 22/10/2015)