A new report has found that the number of young people who are unemployed a year after leaving school has almost doubled.
The study by the Economic Social and Research Institute shows that 11% of all school leavers were unemployed in 2004, compared to 6% in 1999.
The greatest rate of unemployment was among those who had left school early.
However, the proportion of students who had completed the Leaving Certificate but who were not working also increased on previous years.
The study monitored the progress of almost 3,000 young people one year after they left school in 2004.
The report reveals that less than two fifths of the students were working compared to almost half in 1999, with 45% furthering their studies.
The highest rate of unemployment was among those who had left school early - half of those who left school with no qualifications were unemployed compared to under a quarter that sat the Junior Certificate.
Of those who stayed in school and completed the Leaving Certificate, 7% were not working compared to 4% in 1999.
The report also reveals that more young men than women were unemployed.
And the largest group who were not working, 28%, came from families where the father was unemployed.
