30,000 involved in voluntary sector

The 2012 Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Survey revealed that nearly 30,000 persons aged 12 and over and living in private households did some form of voluntary work on a regular basis.

The largest share of these volunteers dedicated their time to a voluntary organisation, while just under 1 per cent did informal voluntary work, such as helping out a neighbour or relative.

The majority of persons doing formal voluntary work were aged between 25 and 49, while informal voluntary work was more popular among persons aged 50-64.

 Persons who did voluntary work with a voluntary organisation mostly performed work related to institutional care, with 34 per cent. The largest share of these persons had an active role in the organisation's activities.

Forty-four per cent of males and 37 per cent of females had been doing voluntary work for more than a decade. Most volunteers engaged in such activities for less than 10 hours per week, while 5,900 dedicated more than 30 hours per week for such endeavours.

On average, males spent five hours more per month in voluntary activities. While the average number of hours was not seen to vary by age group, it did change according to main activity status, from an average of 20 hours per month for working persons to 40 hours per month for unemployed persons.

Nearly half the volunteers said they were doing so because they felt it was their moral duty, with a further 18 per cent doing so to meet new people or for recreation.

Four per cent of persons aged 12 and over and living in private households were either paying or non-paying members.