Another monthly decrease in Live Register Figures

4 Mar 2005

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed welcomes a further drop in the numbers claiming an unemployment payment. In the seasonally adjusted figures there was a decrease of 1,300 bringing the total to 155,900 people. This is a decrease of 14,500 since February 2004.

‘All reductions in the Live Register figures are welcome especially if they are spread across the country’, said June Tinsley, INOU Policy Officer. ‘However, one worrying element of these figures, which mirrors the statistics of the Quarterly National Household Survey, is that youth unemployment (under 25 years of age) is increasing amongst the long term unemployed.’

‘Although Ireland does have a low national unemployment rate of 4.4%, it is not acceptable that more and more of the young unemployed people are becoming long-term unemployed’ she added. ‘We again call on the Government not to become complacent but ensure that effective measures and supports are available for young unemployed people to get back to work or education or training’.