People in Donegal said to be travelling further to work

The latest report from the Western Development Commission has revealed that people in Donegal are travelling further to work.
A study of census data by analysts at the WDC suggests the county’s larger towns such as Donegal and Letterkenny are continuing to draw workers away from smaller towns such as Ballybofey/Stranolar, Bunbeg, Ballyshannon and Killybegs.
It also shows a rise in the number of cross border commuters and that the county has an ageing workforce but with an increasing number of women workers.
The WDC’s latest study on 2016 census data shows a decline in the number of resident workers in five of Donegal’s eight labour catchment areas.
The analysis suggests larger towns are continuing to draw workers from smaller towns in the county.
Donegal is said to have an ageing workforce with fewer workers under the age of 30 which has been attributed to higher levels of third level participation.
Another key finding shows that there are more women working with Carndonagh having the highest percentage of females in the workforce at 55.3%.
Manufacturing has been shown to be a particularly strong source of employment, accounting for 27% of the workforce in Killybegs.
Meanwhile, there is rise in the number of Donegal workers cross-border commuting with the Derry catchment area amounting to over 5000 resident workers in 2016, up 10% from 2006.