In 1926, more than half of the country’s total labor force was employed in the agricultural sector according to the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
96 years later, that number has dropped to approximately 4% of the workforce according to statistics.
To complement the release of the 1926 Census forms by the National Archives, the Central Bureau of Statistics has published a comparison of the results with the results of the 2022 Census.
The CSO report highlights how Ireland’s employment structure has transformed over time, moving from a workforce dominated by agriculture and manual labor in 1926 to one focused on non-manual, managerial and professional roles in 2022.
Titled Then and Now: Life in Ireland in 1926 and 2022the Civil society organizations He said the report offers “new and unique insights into how life in Ireland has changed over almost 100 years in relation to our population, where they live, their religion, language and occupations”.
Commenting on the release, Maria Yassin, Statistician in the Census Division of the Central Statistics Office, said: “The 1926 Census provides a statistical overview of Ireland at an important stage in its history.
“As the first census conducted by the Irish Free State, it records the demographic and social conditions of the time.”
The CSO said it was “uniquely placed to compare 1926 data with the most recent census conducted in 2022, and this analysis informs our understanding of the long-term trends shaping Ireland today.”
“By bringing these statistics together, this release allows us to see not only what Ireland used to be like, but also how deeply it has changed,” the CSO noted.
Census form for 1926. Source: Civil Society Organization
The census taken on 18 April 1926 was the first census after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.
At the time, the population was 2.97 million, having declined by more than 5% since the 1911 census, a continuation of the decline that began after the Great Famine.
Breaking the dirt clods on the edges of the potatoes c. 1900. Source: Welsh Collection, WOI/56/25, Ulster Museum via CSO
The 1926 census depicts Ireland as a primarily agricultural society, with just over half of the working population – 51% of the 1,307,662 registered in gainful occupations – working the land.
Agriculture dominated the labor force in 1926, employing 672,129 workers, or 51% of the total labor force at that time.
The state relied on the next generation with 206,382 sons and daughters helping farmers, and another 57,713 relatives working on family land were registered.
2022 Household Census form. Source: Civil society organizations
By 2022, the number of workers in the agricultural sector reached 81,470, nearly 4% of the total workforce, reflecting a much larger and more diverse labor pool than a century ago.
This number of agricultural workers consists of 55,037 farmers and 26,433 agricultural workers.
This represents the most significant structural shift in employment between the two census years.
Geographic focus
In 1926, especially in the west of Ireland, agriculture was the main driver of the economy.
The county with the highest agricultural dependence was Leitrim (81%), closely followed by Mayo (80%) and Roscommon (80%), while Dublin City recorded just 1%.
There were also 89,963 paid agricultural workers who did not live on the farm and 36,446 considered to be “living on the farm.”
Do it the hard way. Tire production in the early twentieth century
It has been noted as “vital to coastal life” by civil society organisations, with 5,753 fishermen registered nationally, with Waterford having the highest concentration relative to its workforce at 2%.
In 2022, 2,569 people were recorded working in primary fishing-related occupations, representing a significant decline in the number of people directly employed in fishing over the century.
“Disappearing” professions.
As the CSO stated, “The 1926 census provides a window into occupations that have since largely disappeared.”
At the time, there were 1,012 coopers, professional craftsmen who made the wooden barrels essential for the strong trade and butter exports, and all of them were men.
Before the automobile took over, the state relied on 1,441 saddleback riders, 10,852 horse-drawn carriage drivers, and 1,399 grooms to keep the country moving.
Chimney sweeps were essential to every coal and peat-based household – in a trade of 211, the census recorded only one chimney sweep.
There were 1,385 milliners, 826 embroiderers, and 336 hand lace workers – a skilled cottage industry that supported many women across the country.
Gender roles
The gender profile of the labor force has changed significantly between the two census years.
Population at work in 1926. Source: Central Bureau of Statistics
In 1926, out of a population of 2.97 million, 1,307,662 people were working, with a recorded figure of 963,768 men (74%) and 343,894 women (26%).
The number of working population in 2022, highlighting the decline in the number of farmers. Source: Civil society organizations
By 2022, out of a population of 5,149,139, there were 2,320,297 people employed with a workforce consisting of 1,241,353 men (53%) and 1,078,944 women (47%).
These numbers show a much larger workforce and a much more gender balance.
Modern era
The occupational landscape recorded in the 2022 Census reflects a workforce shaped by technological change, occupational specialization, and the growth of the service sector and creative professions.
Many of the roles that feature so prominently in today’s society had no equivalent in 1926, while others that were only emerging at that time have since developed into significant and advanced fields.
