Unemployment now in double figures

4 Mar 2009

It is October 1997 since the Standardised Unemployment Rate was 10.4%. However, there were only 248,600 people on the Live Register then. According to today's release from the Central Statistics Office there are 352,800 people on the seasonally adjusted Register for February 2009. And though the monthly increase may be down 19%, the rate of weekly increase has gone up from 6,600 to 6,675. If this rate of increase continues, the Live Register will be over 600,000 by the end of the year!

"Though Ireland has dealt with unemployment as a major policy issue before the scale of the problem now facing us is unprecedented", noted Bríd O'Brien, Head of Policy and Media with the INOU. "Government re-assures us that work is taking place to address this issue but there is a lack of information in the public domain as to what exactly this is", she continued.

In a week where redundancy figures also continued to reach an all time high, there is an urgent need to address the growing unemployment crisis before long-term unemployment once again becomes a feature of the Irish economy. As we know from recent history the social cost and impact of endemic unemployment on communities, families and individuals is enormous. And it is questionable how successful Ireland was in addressing these issues in more bountiful times.

The State has at its disposal a considerable range of local and national infrastructure whose remit includes the development of integrated responses to social and economic development. It is vital that this infrastructure is used to revise existing policies and programmes where necessary; and design new ones that will ensure that Ireland's social and economic development in the longer-term is more sustainable and inclusive.

 

For further information contact:
Bríd O'Brien, INOU Head of Policy and Media: (01) 856 0088 or 086 608 9641