Laois commuting set to be investigated in new work study

Reasons for commuting out of Laois or work and finding out the extent to which commuters want to work in the county are set to be investigated as part of a new study commissioned by Laois County Council.

The local authority has invited bids from companies for the contract for a study that will examine commuting patters and provide evidence to show that there are people with skills that could work in Laois if the jobs were available here.

The council outlines the purpose in tender documents seen by the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"The aim of this project is to study the commuting patterns of the residents in Laois and to quantify the potential represented by the commuter population by analysing their profile and measuring their desire to live and work in the county.

"The study will also highlight the key locations within Laois where the skills and talent are currently located.

"It is intended that Laois County Council will work with the successful provider to stimulate interest and heighten awareness of the project itself during the online commuter survey part of the study and to produce a report that will form the basis for considerations in future economic development within the counties.

"The study will also identify key locations within the county where skills, talent and a large commuter base is residing," said the local authority.

The council sets out some key areas such as the employment sector, earnings, attitude to living and working in Laois and willingness to work in Laois for less income and work in a different sector closer to home.

The council also says it wants to ascertain age, gender, location and background detail of people living in Laois and commuting outside of the respective county for work.

Another area of information sought is finding out the primary destinations of outward commuters and how many days a week they commute for work and their current work status.

The length of journey, when they travel and what form of transport they use will also be sought as will the educational attainments and field of study of commuters.

The council also wants to find out the profession and educational details from commuters living in a minimum seven Laois towns.

Those surveyed will be asked what factors they would consider in deciding to redeploy their skills and willingness to utilise the network of remote working hubs. MORE BELOW PHOTO

Hundreds depart from Portlaoise Train Station for work in Dublin and other locations every day.

The council says the study must include four key elements as set out below:

• Analysis of existing data sets using Census 2022 Place of Work, School, College or Childcare data
• Design and implementation of a commuter survey
• Extensive use of quantitative and qualitative research
• Preparation of a final report encompassing all findings and profiling the skills and potential of outbound commuters as an employment resource for businesses in Laois.

The local authority hopes to award the three-month contract in October 2025, which it says has an estimated value of €30,000.

It's nearly a decade since Laois County Council's former Chief Executive told councillors that 10,000 people were leaving Laois per day to work. He said that is 42 per cent of our workforce.

"Every day, droves of people are leaving Laois to go to Dublin,” Mr Mulholland said. 

The 2022 Census showed that the average commute in Laois was 32.3 minutes, and the average distance was 25.3km, the longest in the country. The average journey time was 60 minutes or more: 6,221 people.