More than 236,000 children aged between 15 and 20 have a paid job, accounting for nearly half the total age group.

The proportion has gone up from 42% in the last five years, said the statistics agency CBS. The most popular job is stacking shelves in the supermarket, followed by working on the tills for girls and newspaper delivery for boys.

Most school pupils work less than 12 hours a week and earn an average of €1,600 per year. Boys earn more on average than girls for reasons that the CBS said were ‘unclear’.