News
Galway workers lose out in disposable income stakes
People living in Galway are considerably worse off than Ireland’s other urban-dominated counties, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office.
It’s the latest Government report to confirm the huge economic divide between the West and other parts of the county.
Town and village renewal projects across Galway have now been cited as keys to redressing the imbalance, as well as providing support for small and medium businesses.
The ‘County Incomes and Regional GDP (Gross Domestic Product)’ shows the average disposable income of Galway residents in 2011 stood at €18,324, which is around 4% below the State average of €19,055.
The city and county lags behind Dublin (€21,329), Kildare (€19,779), Cork (€19,465) and Limerick (€19,247).
More significantly, Galway is in tenth place in Ireland, even lagging behind South Tipperary (€18,817), Meath (€18,563) and Waterford (€18,407).
The CSO defines disposable income as wages and earnings plus social benefits and less taxes and social insurance.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.