Almost half of all second-level students work part-time, according to a survey. More than half of those who have part-time jobs work for 11 hours or more a week, the survey suggests.
The National Youth Council, which carried out the survey, is concerned that employment may be taking precedence over schoolwork. Mr James Doorley, president of the council, said it was difficult to see how this level of commitment to a job could not take its toll on performance in school.
"A part-time job can be a beneficial experience. It enables young people to earn some money and learn practical skills. However, it would appear that the balance between work and study has excessively shifted for many young people, and that this imbalance needs to be redressed," Mr Doorley said.
Laws governing the employment of persons under the age of 18 were being widely broken. He called for a doubling to 34 of the number of inspectors employed to ensure the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996, was effectively enforced.
The Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Mr Willie O'Dea, said the findings were worrying and showed legislation governing the employment of young persons was more often breached than observed. This would have to be addressed, and parents and schools would also have to point out to students the danger of losing out on studies.
The survey, entitled Share It With The Rest Of The Class, also found that outside class almost one-quarter of students study for less than three hours a week.
Students from a sample of second-level schools around the State were also asked for their views on politics. More than one-quarter said they would not vote in a general election if there was one in the morning.
They cited corruption in politics (27 per cent) and the irrelevance of the political system to young people (20 per cent) as the main reasons the number of young people voting in elections has been falling.
Of the 74 per cent who said they would vote in a general election, their party of first preference was Fianna Fail, followed by Sinn Fein and Fine Gael. Others in order of preference were Independents, the Labour Party, the Green Party, the Workers' Party and the Socialist Party.
The most important issues for young people today, according to the students, are drugs, health, crime and suicide. Mr Doorley said much debate had taken place in recent months about violent attacks on young people and a perceived increase in youth-related violence.
"Initiatives from the gardai like Operation Oiche to increase street patrols are welcome. However, youth crime has far deeper roots than can be addressed through additional policing. In the short term, the National Youth Council of Ireland believes that an expert group should be established to investigate the issue of youth violence," he said.