The idea that people can earn more by being on social welfare than by taking a job has been rejected in a new study, published by the Economic and Social Research Institute.
The study says selected, non-typical examples of social welfare payments have created the mistaken impression that unemployed people are better off on the dole.
Only 3% of unemployed would have a lower income if they took a job, according to the research.
Using the institute's tax-benefits model - which uses a nationally representative sample of real people rather than selected examples - it says eight out of ten unemployed people would increase their incomes by at least 50% if they took a job, while six out of ten would double their income with a job.
The ESRI's model looks at the welfare entitlements and tax liabilities of each household in the Central Statistics Office survey on income and living conditions.
The model takes potential entitlements of unemployed people, such as rent and mortgage supplements into account, but finds only 13% of people on jobseekers' benefit or assistance get these payments.
Elsewhere, over 12,000 members of the public have contacted the Department of Social Protection so far this year to report social welfare fraud.
Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton told the Dáil there will be a greater number of social welfare inspectors calling to employers to deter the black economy.
Minister Burton said the department has investigated 401,000 cases of suspected social welfare fraud and €388m was recorded in controlled savings.
She said the savings are substantially ahead of last year's figures.
