Unemployment continues to rise

22 Sep 2009

Today the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) for Quarter 2 2009, which covers the period March to June. The QNHS Q2 '09 recorded a drop in employment levels by 8.2% in comparison to Q2 2008. With just a little over 1.9m in employment, employment has dropped back to Q1 2005 levels. However at that stage unemployment was only 4.2% and it is now 12%. Long-term unemployment has started to rise and now stands at 2.6% - a figure not seen since early 1999. Over the last year, 174,300 jobs were lost against 23,800 created. Out of the six categories where jobs were created, three are funded through the public purse and so future employment growth is doubtful.

Looking at it from a gender perspective, of the three categories that account for 44% of male employment in Q2 2009, employment levels fell by 21.9% over the year. These three categories include construction; industry; and wholesale and retail trade. The decline in construction employment was particularly dramatic at 64%. Overall 86,000 construction jobs were lost which accounted for almost half of the total job losses.

The picture for women is different as two of the three categories that make up 49.7% of women's employment saw growth of 2.4% and these sectors are: education; and human health and social work activities. The proposed cuts in public expenditure will have a particular impact on women's employment rate. The third category, wholesale and retail trade, saw women's employment fall by 6.5%.

"It is clear from these statistics that unemployment must become the Government's top priority," said Bríd O'Brien, Head of Policy and Media with the INOU. "At a time of private sector retrenchment, the State must play an increasing role in our economic development otherwise it will be extremely difficult to address unemployment when it becomes increasingly long-term and embedded," she concluded.

 

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