Employers are being encouraged to hire workers over 50 with a new €10,000 bonus.
It is part of a Government incentive to get middle aged people, who lost their job during the recession, back to work.
Minister for Social protection Regina Doherty says the payout targets a wide group.
She said: "The majority of them are men and they range from a variety of professions from architects to bus drivers…There is no one large cohort of people.
"They would have lost their jobs during the recession and they are finding it particularly tough just because of their age - it is not about theiir skill set, (nor) their ambition."