Very interesting OECD figures

[Brendan Burgess]

http://www.oecd.org/social/soc/recipients.htm

This is a great tool for comparing Ireland with other countries on a wide range of measures.

For example (The red line is Ireland, the blue line is the OECD, the green line is the UK.)


Although the working-age population has not increased, the number of Irish people getting disability increased by 18% between 2007 and 2014. In the UK, it declined by about 38%.


There was about a 24% increase in the number of people getting the OAP:

 

[jjm]

Possible got to do with the changes made by the department of social welfare around 2012, there is also the possibility Irish immigrants from the late 1950 to early 1960 returning to Ireland are also affection the figures
There are quite a few around where I lived who took advantage of housing prices to retire home some would have worked in Ireland from time to time over the years,

 

[Andy836]

Re the decline in the UK, I was looking at North Ireland employment statistics and disability rates and it appears the UK changed the name of the benefit these guys & gals were claiming.

Basically they thought that a load of those on long term disability were chancers so wanted to have everyone assessed again. They were largely moved to Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) which is a sort of potentially reduced disability benefit - i.e. they'd pay you half if they felt you were disabled but you were fine to work 2.5 days a week or something like that.