This publication is part of a series of results from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published as outlined in the Census 2022 Publication Schedule.
Among the 180,383 people who were unemployed and had ceased their education, 37% had completed their studies before the age of 19 (down from 43% in 2016).
In contrast, among the 2.1 million people who were at work and had completed their education, only 28% had finished their studies before they turned 19 (down from 30% in 2016 and from 35% in 2011).
Census 2022 shows that 40% of people at work did not complete their education until they were at least 21 years old (which was an increase from 32% in 2016).
For the purpose of this analysis, an early school leaver is defined as a person whose education ceased before the age of 16.
In total, 8% of people aged 15 years and over (269,752 people) stated that they completed their full-time education before the age of 16 in 2022 (down from 10% in 2016 and 13% in 2011).
Of these, 184,208 people, or 68% were aged 60 years and over.
In 2016, 62% of the 308,908 early school leavers were aged 60 years and over while in 2011, 55% of the 389,488 early school leavers were in the same age group.
This indicates that the number of early school leavers decreased since 2011 and was increasingly confined to older age cohorts.
In 2022, 57% of early school leavers were male.
| 70 years and over | 65 to 69 years | 60 to 64 years | 55 to 59 years | 50 to 54 years | 45 to 49 years | 40 to 44 years | 35 to 39 years | 30 to 34 years | 25 to 29 years | 20 to 24 years | 15 to 19 years | |
| Aged under 16 years | 119343 | 34644 | 30221 | 26709 | 18748 | 13120 | 9767 | 7311 | 4312 | 2562 | 1926 | 1089 |
| Aged 16 years and over (incl. Not stated) | 407772 | 196894 | 231745 | 265279 | 299262 | 327932 | 357407 | 326116 | 279521 | 238411 | 148600 | 35938 |
The labour force participation rate for the early school leavers was 34% compared with 61% for the general population, reflecting the older age profile of the early leavers.
The census unemployment rate among early school leavers was 15%, almost double the overall census unemployment rate of 8%.
There were 8,800 people aged between 20 and 34 who completed their full-time education at 15 or younger.
Among this group, the labour force participation rate was 70%, but at 32%, the unemployment rate was four times higher than the national figure.
In the older age group of 35 to 59-year-olds, early school leavers’ labour force participation rate was 70% and unemployment was 15%.
| 2011 | 2016 | 2022 | |
| All people aged 15 years and over | 31 | 25 | 15 |
| 15 - 19 years | 81 | 77 | 59 |
| 20 - 34 years | 54 | 43 | 32 |
| 35 - 59 years | 30 | 24 | 15 |
| 60 years and over | 19 | 18 | 10 |
| 2011 | 2016 | 2022 | |
| All people aged 15 years and over | 42 | 38 | 34 |
| 15 - 19 years | 83 | 77 | 68 |
| 20 - 34 years | 77 | 76 | 70 |
| 35 - 59 years | 70 | 71 | 70 |
| 60 years and over | 18 | 17 | 17 |
There were 2,111,542 people who had completed their full-time education in 2022 and were at work.
Among these people, 57% indicated they were educated to third level. The equivalent proportion in 2016 was 52%.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing was the industrial sector with the highest percentage of people educated to primary level or lower (13% of the 78,711 workers).
In the Information and communication activities sector, only 0.4% (of 112,633 workers) were educated no higher than primary level (483 people).
The Wholesale and retail trade sector had the highest percentage (41%) of workers with upper secondary as their highest level of education followed by Accommodation and food service activities (40% of the 101,825 workers).
Some 84% of people working in Information and communication activities had a third level degree or higher, the highest among all broad industrial sectors.
This was followed by Education (82% of the 195,948 workers) and Financial and insurance activities (81% of the 98,849 workers).
Looking at industrial groups with at least 100 workers, Fund management activities had the highest percentage of people educated to third level, as was also the case in 2016.
This was closely followed by the Higher education sector (university professors, teachers and lecturers) with 85% of workers having a third level qualification and by the Scientific research and development industrial group at 84%.
The industry with the largest number of people with a third level qualification was Computer programming, consultancy and related services and information service activities where 63,504 people (79% of the total workforce) were educated to third level.
| Workers with third level education (%) | |
| Fund management activities | 85.82 |
| Higher education | 85.48 |
| Scientific research and development | 83.82 |
| Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy | 80.65 |
| Secondary education | 80.53 |
| Activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding | 79.45 |
| Computer programming, consultancy and Information service activities | 79.37 |
| Primary education | 74.39 |
| Legal activities | 73.56 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 73.51 |
Looking specifically at workers educated no higher than lower secondary level, just under one-third were working as Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives (32%).
This was followed by Skilled agricultural and related trades with 27% of workers in these occupations stating that lower secondary was their highest level of education.
Half of workers in Sales occupations indicated that their highest level of education was upper secondary (50%).
Just under half of people working in Secretarial and related occupations indicated that their highest level of education was upper secondary (47%).
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