This article will highlight some important data taken from the Mid-West regional Profile 2012 compiled by the Mid-West Regional Authority.
The Mid-West region consists of Limerick City and County, County Clare and North Tipperary. Where applicable data was provided I have included figures for Limerick City.
The entire 101 page document is available here: http://www.mwra.ie/Publications/documents/RegionalProfileMWFINALwithfrontcover_001.pdf
I scoured through it so you don`t have to. I plan to compare the 2012 profile with the 2012 report from the same authority. I will report back with contrasts and comparisons.
Geographical/Population
The Mid-Western region is 8,248.64 km2 and takes up 11.75percent of the Republic of Ireland`s landmass. On average 46 people live in every square kilometre of the region.
The population is 378,410 or 8.3% of the population of Ireland, this comprises of 189,481 females and 188,929 males. You could also say that there are 99.7 males for every 100 females.
Limerick City has a population of 56,779 of which 27,771 are male and 29,008 are female.
The statisticians calculate that the population of Limerick City needs to grow by 25percent to 70,768 by 2016 and by 2022 we need 81,240 citizens. This projected figure is determined by development plans that are in the pipeline. It must also be pointed out that these figures are targets. In the five year period from 2006 – 2011, 5,026 people migrated out of the city.
Age
Should the reader be over 50 years of age, you make up 29percent of the Mid-West population. If you are under 30 years old reading this, you one of 42percent of inhabitants. Taking all figures into account the average is a mere 35.9 years old.
Ethnicity
Now for some of you reading this that might harbour xenophobic concerns: I will take this opportunity to dispel the myth that we are being “overrun”, as you might put it. 92.8percent of Mid-West inhabitants are Irish. 2.2percent of us originate in the United Kingdom. 2.9percent are from European Union member states and 2.1percent of us came all the way here (for the weather, naturally) from outside the EU.
Housing
Within the boundaries of Limerick City there are 26,849 dwellings, of which, 2,669 are social housing and 3,443 are vacant. Once again some figures which may astound particular readers.
Employment/Unemployment
When it comes to employment within the region there is one factor that throws the figures off. That is population growth. The following table illustrates this phenomenon. It can be seen that the unemployment rate grew even though the number of people employed increased.
On a national perspective: The Mid-West region has the second lowest population and has the second highest participation rate.
| Mid-West (period) | Employed (thousands) | Unemployed (thousands) | Labour Force | Unemployment Rate (percent) | Participation Rate (percent) |
| Jan-Mar 2011 | 152.2 | 28.0 | 180.1 | 15.5 | 61.5 |
| Apr-Jun 2011 | 154.8 | 29.1 | 183.9 | 15.8 | 63.0 |
Labour Force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons of 15 years and over. Participation rate is a percentage of the labour force and the total population aged 15 years and over.
Here is a table demonstrating the sectors we were employed in: Latest data from 2009. It must be said that the industrial sectors are underperforming.
| % | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing | Other Production industries | Construction | Wholesale, Retail | Accommodation, Food | Transport, Storage, Communication | Finance, Real Estate, Insurance | Public Admin, Defence, Social Security | Education | Health | Other Service | All other |
| 10.9 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 5.7 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 8.2 |
Of the total employed in the Mid-West; Foreign Direct Investment created 13,200 jobs throughout 116 companies.
Net Disposable Income
In 2009 the net disposable income per household was €38,857 in the Mid-West. In Dublin for the same period the NDI per household was €58,759. A stark difference, if I may offer opinion.
When it is compared to the net disposable income per person; in 2008 we in the Mid-West had €22,165 to spend and Dublin residents had €25,337.
Poverty
These figures are designed to melt your brain. 22percent of the Mid-Western population was at risk of poverty in 2008 compared to the national average of 14.4percent. However, at the same time 3.5percent of the Mid-West were in consistent poverty compared to the national average of 4.2percent.
Retail
In 2009 residents of the Mid-West spent €1.9 billion of our hard earned in a retail environment. It appears that we still like to get out shopping, as €1.8 billion of that was spent in stores. We spent €100 million online.
Tourism
In the Mid-West there are approximately 1,000 tourism businesses employing about 25,000 people. In 2009 1.73 million people came to visit us and they left behind €390.6 million. They came to take pictures of the Treaty Stone and The Cliffs of Moher. They watched Munster play and had a pint in Mickey Martins pub. The following table shows who they were and how much they spent.
| Mid-West Region | Numbers (Thousands) | Revenue (€ Millions) |
| Britain | 246 | 85.9 |
| Mainland Europe | 278 | 62.2 |
| North America | 212 | 73.8 |
| Other | 54 | 28.5 |
| Total Overseas Tourists | 791 | 250.4 |
| Northern Ireland | 21 | 4.9 |
| Domestic | 918 | 135.3 |
| Total | 1,730 | 390.6 |
Education
The latest figures on education are from 2006. If the reader lived in the Mid-West region of Ireland at that time 39percent of us left school before the leaving certificate. 30.1percent of us sat that exam and 26.5percent of us continued to third level education. The figures do not add up to 100 percent, leaving 4.4percent of us unaccounted for within the education system.
There ends this review of the Mid-West Regional Authorities profile of the region 2012.
brian lighthouse 