Are We Really Better Off In Employment? According To The ERSI We Are…

It goes without saying that trying to survive in Ireland right now is tough. We have bills to pay, debts to clear and futures to try and save for. It also doesn’t help that the cost of living is rising and that job prospects aren’t exactly great.

However while most people assume that they’d be better off on the dole rather than working, the ERSI has stated that the vast majority of us are actually better off in employment – even when childcare and travel costs are taken into consideration.

According to the ERSI, 94 per cent of Irish people would do better to stay working than to rely on the dole instead. There are only six per cent of the population who would genuinely “better off on the dole” but most of these are actually employed.

Are most of us really better off working?

This new research states that 86 per cent of Irish people with young children – the people who face the highest childcare costs – are also better off in the workplace.

These new facts and figures from the ERSI contradicts a separate report from the ERSI which was released earlier this year. The initial report came to the conclusion that two fifths of families are better off on the dole.

“Overall, we find that the unemployed face similar work incentives here to elsewhere in the EU. The very large majority are better off in work not out of work,” concluded Tim Callan, a professor for the ERSI.

What do you think ladies? If your monthly pay packet is swallowed up by commuting costs and childcare fees do you really think that you’re still better off working?