Education, health and social work sector employs most people in Sligo according to new report

The town labour catchment is that area from which a town draws most of its' workforce. Therefore it is a very useful measure of labour supply.

This is one of the findings of a new report carried out by the Western Development Commission (WDC), which has carried out in-depth research into the commuting patterns of those at work in the Western Region. Travel to Work and Labour Catchments in the Western Region: A Profile of Seven Town Labour Catchments analyses previously unreleased Census data to examine the travel to work patterns in each of the principal towns in the seven counties of the Western Region – including Sligo.

Sligo town labour catchment has over 24,000 (24,382) workers living there, which accounts for 8.3% of all workers living in the Western Region. This is 2.9 times the numbers of workers living within Sligo town which highlights the significant labour supply available.

Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst at the WDC noted, "This is significant in the context of the National Planning Framework and its revision, where urban centres such as Sligo are expected to contribute to significant population and employment growth".

Of those living in the Sligo town labour catchment, 45.9% (11,180) are employed within Sligo town and 54.1% (13,202) are employed outside the town, ranging from locations near to Sligo such as Collooney; 2.5% (605) to Dublin city; 1.7% (407).

The age profile of those living in the Sligo town labour catchment is the third youngest of the catchments of the seven county towns in the Western Region, though older than the State average.

Those workers living in the Sligo labour catchment have a higher rate of third level education - 63.2%, compared to the State figure of 63.1%.

The single largest employer is the 'Education, Human Health and Social Work' sector and accounts for 29.6% which is higher than the State average 23.8%.

The 'Wholesale, Retail and Commerce' (22.1%) and 'Manufacturing' (14.3%) 'ICT and Professional Services' (13.5%) are important employment sectors although 'ICT and Professional Services' is much lower than the State average (23%).

Manufacturing Industries (14.3%) is the third most important sector and higher than the State average of 13.4%.

The impact of greater numbers working from home, may explain the increased popularity of more distant workplaces such as Dublin, where the numbers citing this as their work location have increased from 329 people in 2016 to 407 in 2022.

However, places closer to Sligo town and rural areas have also seen significant increase in employment since 2016. For example, Bundoran and Collooney as well as rural parts of Sligo and Leitrim have all recorded greater numbers employed in 2022.

Examining departure times for work, of the seven labour catchments, Sligo has the second lowest rate of workers departing for work before 7.00 am (21%), with just Letterkenny having a lower rate of 19.6%.

Commenting on the findings, the CEO of the WDC, Allan Mulrooney said:

"This is very valuable information as it provides robust analysis of travel to work patterns in centres such as Sligo a key regional centre in the National Planning Framework. It provides detailed data which will inform decisions on commuting and employment patterns and enterprise location". Comparing these data with the original WDC analysis in the intercensal periods, 2016 and 2006, provides insights into trends. It will be of particular value to policy-makers in the context of the revision of the National Planning Framework and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies and County Development.