A new report by the Western Development Commission (WDC) shows a 22 percent increase in the number of workers in Castlebar now living in Castlebar, since the last census.
The report examined travel to work patterns and labour catchments in the Western Region and found that the number of people living and working in the Western Region has increased by 13 % between 2016 and 2022.
It looked at the town labour catchment in seven of the largest towns in the province – that’s the area from which a town draws most of its’ workforce.
All the labour catchments reviewed in this report have significantly more people at work than the census population at work within the town. This shows that all these towns have access to a much greater labour supply than the town population.
Castlebar is the fifth largest labour catchment in the Western Region with nearly 17,000 resident workers in 2022. It retained this 5th position throughout the period 2006-2022. It recorded one of the largest growth rates of all catchments, growing by 22% since 2016.
This information will help inform the development agencies, employers and local authorities on employment and enterprise across the Western Region.
Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst told Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley that the findings are welcome news for the region…
