THE NUMBER of people employed in agriculture has fallen from 115,000 at the end of 2008 to 98,000 during 2009, according to a report from Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority.
A study carried out by the organisation found not only a decline in farm jobs but off-farm employment as well, where farmers working part-time have been hard hit.
While the absolute number of those working in the sector fell, so too did the sector’s relative share of total employment, which now accounts for 5 per cent of the total Irish workforce.
The primary driver of the change between the second quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2009 was a fall in the number of self-employed farmers.
The latest edition of TResearch, the Teagasc research and innovation magazine, shows the construction sector was the most important sector providing off-farm employment for farmers, but those working in it witnessed the greatest fall in employment over the period analysed.