Over a third of those affected are children, while nearly 1 in 5 are adults who have a disability.

The percentage of people living in jobless households rose sharply once the recession kicked in - from 15% in 2007 to 22% in 2010.

While this is due in part to a rise in unemployment, it's also because - compared to their EU counterparts - jobless adults here are less likely to live with someone who's working - and more likely to live with children.

Report finds strong link between household joblessness and poverty

It highlights the vital role played by welfare payments and other social transfers in lifting jobless households out of financial poverty. 

The risk of living in a jobless household is higher for people with low levels of education, in lone parent households and in households where an adult has a disability. 

The Irish rate of in-work poverty (people with a job but who are living in poor households) is similar to the EU average. It increased slightly after the recession (from 7% in 2007 to 8% in 2010). 

The risk of being in-work poor is higher for the self-employed, those in a low-skilled occupation, people working part-time and those with no educational qualifications. About two in five of the in-work poor in 2010 were self-employed. Compared to adults in jobless households, the working poor do not appear to be as disadvantaged in terms of education, social class or household structure. 

You can vew the full ESRI Work and Poverty in Ireland Report here.