A new study of figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed Laois as the hardest working county in Ireland.

This study was conducted by energy consultants Procure, who analysed the average distance people in Ireland travel to work, the average time spent on the journey, and the number of unemployed people per county.

The study found that Laois locals 'are putting in the most effort when it comes to getting to work and staying employed'.

Pictured: data collected by a study from Procure.ie

"Every day, people across Ireland get up early, travel long distances, and put in the hours to keep the country running. But which county works the hardest of them all?" the study read.

Each data point was then assigned a weighted score out of 100, and the scores were totalled to create a Hard-Working Index score out of 300. 

"Together, these factors reveal where Ireland’s most dedicated workers live. The results show that Laois leads the way as Ireland’s hardest-working county," the study showed.

"Laois tops the list as Ireland’s hardest-working county. Residents here travel some of the furthest distances to reach their workplaces and spend long periods commuting each day.

"With one of the lowest unemployment levels in the country, Laois workers are putting in the effort both on the road and on the job. The findings highlight a county defined by consistency, determination, and a strong local work ethic," they said.

The study found that the top five hardest working counties were Laois, Meath, Leitrim, Wicklow and Westmeath.

Pictured: the top 20 hardest working counties in Ireland, according to a study from Procure.ie.

Counties that did not feature within the top twenty include Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Donegal, Sligo and Waterford.

Last September, Laois County Council announced their intention to undertake a study on the reasons so many Laois locals commute to other counties for work.

The local authority 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.

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.

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