Students have lost a considerable part of their income during the coronavirus crisis because cafe, bar and shop jobs have been hard hit, the national statistics agency CBS said on Tuesday.

Some 85% of students had a job, and around half of them worked in a sector which has been seriously affected by the pandemic, the CBS said in an analysis.

Since student grants were abolished in 2016, more students have started working and almost half work more than 12 hours a week. Students are also borrowing more from the government. Almost seven in 10 students had a loan in 2019, averaging €700 a month, the CBS said.

Jobs contribute around 40% of students’ income, with most earning at least €400 a month. This would, in theory, entitle them to claim support via the Tofa ruling which targets people on flexible contracts. On average, a working student earned €550 per month last year.