Unemployment rises yet again – INOU seeks immediate action

28 May 2003

The statistics released today under the Quarterly National Household Survey reveal an annual rise of 4,900 in the number of persons who are unemployed in the first quarter of 2003. This is alongside a large employment growth of 26,500, which comprises mainly of public sector recruitment however this level of recruitment is not set to continue.

‘These continuous increases in the number of unemployed people are very worrying yet are unsurprising given the number of factory closures and lay-offs since the beginning of the year. Although we welcome the new investments that have been confirmed, certain sectors and locations are being starved of employment opportunities,’ said June Tinsley, Policy Officer of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed.

‘This increase has now brought the unemployment rate to a new level of 4.6% and it will continue to rise unless immediate action is undertaken. Additional investment in creating and developing firms is needed along with more supports and services to assist the unemployed and newly made redundant people back into the labour market. However, current Government policies and decisions are hindering such job creation and re-entry into the labour market and makes their goal of eliminating long-term unemployment by 2007 even harder to achieve.’

The statistics reveal that there is a strong gender disparity with males accounting for 4,100 of the 4,900 annual increase in unemployment. Also, the number of people who are long-term unemployed increased for the second time since 1993 to a figure of 26,400 so now the rate of long-term unemployed stands at 1.4%.