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INOU Election 2020 Manifesto

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:20:00 GMT

IRISH NATIONAL ORGANISATION OF THE UNEMPLOYED

Phone: 01-856 0088 E-mail: info@inou.ie Website: www.inou.ie

Press Release: 23^rd January 2020

General Election Manifesto 2020

Today the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) has published our election manifesto for General Election 2020, which is available at https://www.inou.ie/download/pdf/inou_general_election_manifesto_2020.pdf

The headline unemployment figures have improved since the last time the country had a General Election in 2016. But unemployment is still an issue that many people experience and have to live through and deal with its consequences. In particular if people are distanced from the labour market because of their employment status; the area they live in; the community they are from; their family status; their gender; their age or that they have a disability. The reality is that trying to manage on a social welfare payment, while seeking a decent job, is a challenge that requires good supports and services.

To that end the INOU is calling on the incoming government to address particular issues under the headings of adequate income; supportive employment services; activation programmes; access to decent work; and community based organisations.

Under Adequate Income

Benchmark all Social Welfare rates at a level which is sufficient to lift people above the poverty line and provide them with a Minimum Essential Standard of Living.
End the age segregation still evident in the Jobseeker’s Allowance payment.

Under Supportive Employment Services

Resource the provision of good career and employment guidance to support unemployed people to make informed choices.
Address the remaining barriers to work and further incentivise the take-up of work.
Support people to address the initial costs of taking up employment, in particular the costs of travel and childcare.
Ensure that individuals and communities most disadvantaged in the labour market are pro-actively provided with tailor made supports to address their issues.

Under Activation Programmes

Open up access to employment programmes for unemployed people signing on for credits.
Ensure that unemployed people’s participation in employment programmes is by choice and that they are facilitated to gain good work experience and enhance their skills.
Resource the provision of good advice and guidance to support unemployed people to ac-cess appropriate education and training.
Acknowledge the cost of participation in education and training and support adult learners to meet these costs to facilitate their participation.
Properly resource community groups in their work addressing the needs of people very distant from the labour market.

Under Access to Decent Work

Ensure that decent work is at the heart of all employment and jobs policies.
Plan for the full impact of Brexit on the labour market and ensure unemployed people and vulnerable workers gain access to a decent job.
In planning for the increased digitalisation of work, ensure that unemployed people and vulnerable workers are supported to adapt and enhance their job prospects.
Actively support the roll-out and attainment of the Living Wage.
Fully support unemployed people seeking to address their unemployment through self-employment.
Add socio-economic status as a ground into Ireland’s equality legislation.

Under Community Based Organisations

Resource the development and maintenance of independent community based organisations and their work with people experiencing social and economic exclusion.
Support the community and voluntary sector, an important entry point for people more distanced from the labour market, to play its part in meeting training needs and providing lifelong learning opportunities.
Properly support ‘Deficient Demand’ social enterprises.

Live Register Figures, December 2019

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:29:00 GMT

On January 9^th, 2020 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for December, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for November was 185,300, the first time this figure has been below 186,000 since the beginning of 2008. The unadjusted figure was 181,996, a decline of 17,673 on the same month last year.

37.1% of the Live Register, or 67,558 people, have been on it for more than a year: 11,984 fewer people than in December, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 6% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 60-64 years, with 14,633 people, followed closely by people aged 45-54 years, with 14,346 people. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.3% and men 58.7%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 35-44 years, accounting for 12.8% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 37,702 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 55.8% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 20.7% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 9,876 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 60-64 years are the largest group, accounting for 13.3% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 48,737 people participating on Activation Programmes in November, 2019: 5,367 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 1,657 participants to 17,009. During this period the numbers of people on Full-time Training for Unemployed People increased by 514 participants, while the numbers of people on Back to Education courses went down by 2,171.

There were 31,728 participants on employment programmes, 3,710 fewer people than in November 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 37.8% to 4,192 people, which accounted for 68.6% of the decrease in employment programmes. An 850 drop in participation on the Tús, Community Work Placement Initiative, accounted for 22.9% of the decrease in employment programmes. Community Employment continued to be the biggest activation programme with 21,279 participants.

December 2019, Unemployment Figures

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 12:54:00 GMT

On January 7^th, 2020 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Monthly Unemployment figures for December 2019. The overall figure, covering people aged 15-74 years old, was 119,000, a decline of 12,900 over the year. For the third month in a row, the Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) was 4.8%, a decline of 0.7% over the year. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 40% and men 60%, a year ago these figures were 46% and 54% respectively. Over the year the female MUR went from 5.5% to 4.2%, while the male MUR decreased by 0.1 to 5.4% in December, 2019.

For people aged 25-74, there were 81,400 people unemployed, a decline of 13,600 over the year. Again for the third month in a row, the MUR for this age group was 3.8%, 0.7% lower than December, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 40% and men 60%, a year ago these figures were 48% and 52% respectively. The male MUR decreased by 0.1 to 4.2% in December, 2019. While the female MUR went from 4.7% to 3.3% over the year.

For people aged 15-24, there were 37,600 people unemployed, an increase of 700 over the year. The MUR for this age group was 12.6%, 0.2% lower than December, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 40.4% and men 59.3%, a year ago these figures were very similar. Over the year the Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) for young women increased by 0.2 to 11.2%. While the male MUR decreased by 0.5 to 13.9% in December, 2019.

The CSO notes that the “purpose of this release is to provide a detailed series of monthly unemployment estimates. The release contains both monthly unemployment rates and monthly unemployment volumes.” On a quarterly basis the Labour Force Survey provides the benchmark estimates of employment and unemployment. In between these Surveys the Live Register, which is published monthly, “is used as an indicator to disaggregate the quarterly LFS unemployment series into a monthly series”. Further information on the methods used to produce these statistics is available on the CSO’s website.

November 2019, Live Register Figures

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 13:57:00 GMT

On December 5^th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for November, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for November was 186,400, which brings this figure back to early 2008 levels. The unadjusted figure was 177,554, a decline of 18,707 on the same month last year. The last time this figure was below 180,000 was December, 2007.

38.3% of the Live Register, or 68,002 people, have been on it for more than a year: 12,555 fewer people than in November, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 6.2% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 60-64 years, with 14,738 people, followed closely by people aged 45-54 years, with 14,380 people. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.4% and men 58.6%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 35-44 years, accounting for 12.7% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 38,196 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 56.2% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 21.5% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 9,995 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 60-64 years are the largest group, accounting for 13.4% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 47,614 people participating on Activation Programmes in October, 2019: 5,887 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 1,942 participants to 15,960. During this period the numbers of people on Full-time Training for Unemployed People increased by 209 participants, while the numbers of people on Back to Education courses went down by 2,151.

There were 31,654 participants on employment programmes, 3,945 fewer people than in October 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 38.7% to 4,298 people, which accounts for 68.8% of the decrease in employment programmes. A 1,062 drop in participation on the Tús, Community Work Placement Initiative, accounted for 26.9% of the decrease in employment programmes. No employment programme increased over the year.

November 2019, Monthly Unemployment Figures

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 15:11:00 GMT

On December 5^th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment figures for November 2019. The CSO notes that the “purpose of this release is to provide a detailed series of monthly unemployment estimates. The release contains both monthly unemployment rates and monthly unemployment volumes.” On a quarterly basis the Labour Force Survey provides the benchmark estimates of employment and unemployment. In between these Surveys the Live Register, which is published monthly, “is used as an indicator to disaggregate the quarterly LFS unemployment series into a monthly series”. Further information on the methods used to produce these statistics is available on the CSO’s website.

The Monthly Unemployment figure for November, 2019 is 117,800, a decline of 17,600 over the year. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.8%, a decline of 0.8% over the year. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 40% and men 60%, a year ago these figures were 46.8% and 53.2% respectively. The male MUR decreased from 5.6% in November, 2018 to 5.3% in November, 2019. While the female MUR went from 5.7% to 4.2% over the year.

For people aged 25-74, there were 80,900 people unemployed, a decline of 16,900 over the year. The MUR for this age group was 3.8%, 0.8% lower than November, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 39.8% and men 60.2%, a year ago these figures were 49.1% and 50.8% respectively. The male MUR decreased from 4.4% in November, 2018 to 4.2% in November, 2019. While the female MUR went from 4.9% to 3.3% over the year.

For people aged 15-24, there were 36,900 people unemployed, a decline of 700 over the year. The MUR for this age group was 12.5%, 0.6% lower than November, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41% and men 59%, a year ago these figures were very similar. The male MUR decreased from 14.7% in November, 2018 to 13.8% in November, 2019. While for young women the MUR went from 11.4% to 11.1% over the year.

Labour Force Survey Quarter 3 2019

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 14:28:00 GMT

On November 19^th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office published the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the third quarter of 2019, which covers the months July to September. Unemployment decreased by 11% over the year, bringing the figure down to 128,000 people. The unemployment rate was 5.2%, a decrease of 0.8 in comparison to the third quarter of 2018.

34,900 people were long-term unemployed. The last time the numbers of people who are long-term unemployed was under 40,000 was Q2 2008, when 37,600 people were long-term unemployed. In Q3 2019 people who were long-term unemployed accounted for 27.3% of the people who were unemployed; while in Q3 2008 they accounted for 26%. In Q3, 2019 the long-term unemployed rate was 1.4%, the last time it was under 1.5% was Q4, 2007 when it was also 1.4%.

In Q3 2019, 2,326,900 people were employed, a 2.4% increase on the same quarter in 2018. Of this figure, 20.3% or 473,500 were working part-time. And of the people working part-time, 23.6% or 111,800 people described themselves as underemployed i.e. they would like to work more hours than they currently can acquire.

Looking at these figures from a regional perspective, the West (5%), the Mid-West (4.8%), the South-West (5.1%) and Dublin (4.5%) had lower unemployment rates than the national rate of 5.2%. The Border (5.4%), the South-East (7.3%), the Mid-East (6.1%) and the Midlands (5.3%) had a higher unemployment rate. Six regions saw the numbers of people employed in their region increase, however the Border and South-West saw declines of 0.9% and 1.3% respectively. Five regions saw a decrease in the numbers of people unemployed, but the Border, South-West and Mid-East saw increases of 6.3%, 2.9% and 10.4% respectively.

The Participation Rate is the number of people in the labour force i.e. those employed plus those unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the total population aged 15 or over. The participation rate in Q3 2019 was 62.5%, marginally lower than the rate in Q3 2018 (62.6%). Looking at this rate from a regional perspective, five regions saw their participation rate decrease, and three saw it increase.

Looking at these figures from an age perspective, the age group with the highest unemployment rate were young people aged 15-19 years of age (22.7%). The age group with the lowest was people aged 65+. This age group also had the lowest participation rate, at 12.3%. In many ways this is as expected since many people in this age group are retired. However, as Ireland’s pension age increases, older people’s desire and need to secure employment will need to be addressed. Most young people aged 15-19 are in education or training, so their low participation rate of 27.3% is unsurprising, but the high unemployment rate indicates that for those young people who are in the labour force securing employment remains a challenge.

October 2019, live Register Figures

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 10:40:00 GMT

On November 7^th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for October, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for October was 188,700, and the unadjusted figure was 180,459, a decline of 18,788 people on the same month last year.

38.3% of the Live Register, or 69,146 people, have been on it for more than a year: 13,852 fewer people than in October, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 6.4% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 60-64 years, with 14,885 people, followed closely by people aged 45-54 years, with 14,580 people. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.6% and men 58.4%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 35-44 years, accounting for 12.6% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 38,883 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 56% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 21.5% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 10,130 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 60-64 years are the largest group, accounting for 13.4% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 44,360 people participating on Activation Programmes in September, 2019: 6,256 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 2,190 participants to 12,545. A fall of 1,811 in learners on the Back to Education Allowance accounted for 82.7% of the decline in participants on these programmes. There were 31,815 participants on employment programmes, 4,066 fewer people than in September 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 38% to 4,483 people, which accounts for 68.5% of the decrease in employment programmes. Community Employment remains the largest of the activation programmes, with 21,153 participants.

October 2019, Monthly Unemployment Figures

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 15:51:00 GMT

On November 5^th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment figures for October 2019. Up to now the monthly unemployment figures were based on the most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) and changes in the Live Register since that LFS was released. The Quarter 2, 2019 LFS was published on August 27^th, 2019.

However, in this release the CSO are using a new methodology. So, today’s release is not working off Quarter 2 2019 LFS benchmarks, but instead working off the LFS benchmarks for Q3 2019, which will not be published until November 19^th, 2019. The CSO say they have made this change to reduce the frequency and scale of the revisions.

The figures published for September, 2019, in today’s release are considerably lower than those published on October 1^st. 118,100 people were unemployed in comparison to 126,900; and the Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) was 4.9% in comparison to 5.3%. For people aged 25-74, the revised figure is 82,700, not that dissimilar to last month’s figure of 84,200. While the MUR for this aged cohort was originally reported as 4%, and has been revise to 3.9%. For people aged 15-24, the revisions are more dramatic. In October it was reported that 42,700 young people were unemployed in September, 2019 while that figure now stands at 35,400; their MUR was 14.8%, and has been revised down to 12.2%.

In today’s release the Monthly Unemployment figure for October, 2019 is 117,300, a decline of 19,400 over the year. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.8%, a decline of 0.9% over the year. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 42% and men 58%. The male MUR decreased from 5.6% in October, 2018 to 5.2% in October, 2019. While the female MUR went from 5.9% to 4.4% over the year.

For people aged 25-74, there were 81,700 people unemployed, a decline of 16,000 over the year. The MUR for this age group was 3.8%, 0.8% lower than October, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.5% and men 58.5%. The male MUR decreased from 4.3% in October, 2018 to 4.1% in October, 2019. While the female MUR went from 5% to 3.5% over the year.

For people aged 15-24, there were 35,600 people unemployed, a decline of 3,400 over the year. The MUR for this age group was 12.3%, 1.4% lower than October, 2018. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 42% and men 58%. The male MUR decreased from 15% in October, 2018 to 13.3% in October, 2019. While for young women the MUR went from 12.2% to 11.1% over the year.

INOU Budget 2020 Press Release

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:57:00 GMT

Budget 2020: what did it deliver?

Today Minister Pascal Donohoe published Budget 2020, a budget which he noted was without precedence given the range of challenges facing Ireland including Brexit, climate change and sustainable economic development.

The theme of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) 2020 Pre-Budget Submission was A Budget for Unemployed People and it covered: adequate income; supportive employment services; activation programmes; access to decent employment; education and training; and community based organisations.

Under these headings the INOU called on the Government to:

Benchmark all Social Welfare rates at a level which is sufficient to both lift people above the poverty line and provide them with a Minimum Essential Standard of Living.
To make progress on this issue, increase Social Welfare rates by €6; and adjust related supports so that people do not lose this increase through, for example, an increase in their differential rent.
Introduce a work-friendly Social Welfare system for Jobseekers reflective of changing work practices, based on hours worked rather than days worked, with a re-designed earnings disregard to support jobseekers returning to / taking up employment.
Build on the welcome Working Family Payment information campaign and promote the full range of Back to Work supports e.g. the Part-time Job Incentive Scheme; SWA Payment Pending Wages; Enterprise and Education Allowances; Family Dividend.
Open up access to employment programmes for unemployed people signing on for credits.
Increase the top-up payment on employment programmes by €7.50 to better support participants costs of engagement.
Plan for the full impact of Brexit on the labour market and ensure unemployed people and vulnerable workers gain access to decent employment.
Increase the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance to three years, and pay 50% of the participant’s social welfare payment in the third year.
Acknowledge the cost of participation in education and training and support adult learners to meet these costs to facilitate their participation.
Resource the development and maintenance of independent community based organisations and their work with people experiencing social and economic exclusion.

The INOU has only started to analyse this year’s Budget and it can take time to sift through the various documents and statements by other Ministers and Departments to see what else, if anything, has changed. Later on in the week the INOU will publish its fuller analysis of Budget 2020 and whether or not it delivered for unemployed people.

However, it is very disappointing that no increase will be made to Jobseeker’s payments. The payment of the Christmas Bonus and the increase in the Fuel Allowance is welcome. But it should be noted that only a third of the people in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment are eligible for these supports. This situation arises because, unlike other welfare supports, an unemployed person must be in receipt of their payment for at least 15 months. This situation also applies to people in receipt of a Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

The rise in the Qualified Child Increase and the Working Family Payment are welcome. But it will be particularly important for anyone making the welfare to work journey that they are fully informed of the supports that are available including the Back to Work Family Dividend, which facilitates people to hold on to the Qualified Child Increase for up to two years.

On the issue of Brexit the Minister made a number of announcements about supports for businesses and certain sectors that are likely to bear the brunt of Brexit’s economic impact. The announcement of additional funding for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is welcome as planning for the employment impact of Brexit will be critical, and in particular supporting people to manage the impact on their lives and how they can secure alternative and decent employment.

September 2019, Live Register Figures

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 12:27:00 GMT

On October 3^rd, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for September, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for September was 188,800, bringing this figure back to early 2008 levels. The unadjusted figure was 183,783, a decline of 21,947 people on the same month last year. This is the first time this register has been under 184,000 since January 2008.

39% of the Live Register, or 71,594 people, have been on it for more than a year: 14,812 fewer people than in September, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 6.6% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 45-54 years, with 15,051 people, followed closely by people aged 60-64 years, with 15,027 people. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.5% and men 58.5%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 35-44 years, accounting for 12.6% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 40,133 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 56% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 21.8% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 10,249 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 45-54 years are the largest group, accounting for 13.2% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 37,875 people participating on Activation Programmes in August, 2019: 4,615 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 796 participants to 5,512. 45.6% of the decrease in education and training programme participants is accounted for by 9% drop in participation on FAS (Solas) Full-time Training for Unemployed People to 3,590 learners. There were 32,363 participants on employment programmes, 3,819 fewer people than in August 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 39% to 4,648 people, which accounts for 77.7% of the decrease in employment programmes. Community Employment remains the largest of the activation programmes, with 21,349 participants.

Monthly Unemployment figures for September 2019

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 13:27:00 GMT

September Unemployment

On October 1^st, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment figures for September 2019. The monthly unemployment figures are based on the most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) and changes in the Live Register since that LFS was released. On August 27^th the Central Statistics Office published the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Quarter 2, 2019, which covers the months April to June.

In September, 2019, 127,500 people were unemployed, a decline of 7,500 on the same month in 2018. The overall Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) was 5.3%, down 0.3% on September 2018. Women account for 42.7% of those who are unemployed and men for 57.3%. In September 2019, the female MUR was 4.9% and the male rate 5.5%, a decrease of 0.7% and 0.1% respectively.

Looking at these figures from an age perspective there were 84,200 unemployed people aged between 25 and 74 years, and their MUR was 4%. A year ago these figures stood at 95,600 and 4.5% respectively. Men account for 53.6% of this age group and women 46.4%. The male MUR was 3.9%, down 0.6% on September 2018. The female MUR was 4.1%, down 0.6% over the year.

For the younger age group, people aged 15-24 years of age, 42,700 young people were unemployed, 3,900 more people than in September 2018. Similarly, young people’s Monthly Unemployment Rate has increased over the year by 1.3% to 14.8%. Looking at the gender breakdown, 35.4% of this group were women, and 1,800 fewer young women were unemployed than a year ago. The MUR for young women went down by 1.4% to 10.9%. Men accounted for 64.6% of this age group in September 2019. Over the year the number of young men unemployed increased by 5,700, and their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) went up by 3.8% to 18.4%.

Live Register Figures for August 2019

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:50:00 GMT

On September 5th, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for August, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for July was 188,500, bringing this figure back to early 2008 levels. The unadjusted figure was 199,093, a decline of 26,065 people on the same month last year.

38.1% of the Live Register, or 75,805 people, have been on it for more than a year: 16,164 fewer people than in August, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 7.2% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 35-44 years, with 15,788 people, followed closely by people aged 45-54 years (15,726). Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 41.6% and men 58.4%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 25-34 years, accounting for 13% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 41,954 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 55.3% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 21.1% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 10,388 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 45-54 years are the largest group, accounting for 13% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 38,776 people participating on Activation Programmes in July, 2019: 4,998 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 1,257 participants to 6,124. Participation on VTOS fell by 43% to 910 learners, with this drop accounting for 55% of the decrease in education and training programme participants. There were 32,652 participants on employment programmes, 3,741 fewer people than in July 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 39% to 4,768 people, which accounts for 82% of the decrease in employment programmes. Community Employment remains the largest of the activation programmes, with 21,349 participants.

August 2019, Unemployment Figures

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 10:11:00 GMT

On September 3^rd, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment figures for August 2019. The monthly unemployment figures are based on the most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) and changes in the Live Register since that LFS was released. On August 27^th the Central Statistics Office published the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Quarter 2, 2019, which covers the months April to June.

In the LFS Q2, 2019 the CSO revised the Monthly Unemployment figures published for June and July, 2019 upwards. So, the Monthly Unemployment Rates (MUR) was revised up to 5.3% from 4.5% and 4.6% respectively. In the July the MUR given for people aged 15-24 in June 2019 and July were 10.1% and 10.3% respectively, the revised figures are considerably higher at 14.7% and 14.5%. 3.8% was the previously report MUR for people aged 25-74 in June and July, 2019. According to this LFS these figures now stand at 4% and 4.1% respectively.

In August, 2019, 126,000 people were unemployed, a decline of 6,400 on the same month in 2018. The overall Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) was 5.2%, down 0.3% on August 2018. Women account for 44% of those who are unemployed and men for 56%. In August 2019, the female MUR was 5.1% and the male rate 5.4%, a decrease of 0.4% and 0.2% respectively.

Looking at these figures from an age perspective there were 83,400 unemployed people aged between 25 and 74 years, and their MUR was 3.9%. A year ago these figures stood at 93,400 and 4.5% respectively. Men account for 52% of this age group and women 48%. The male MUR was 3.7%, down 0.7% on August 2018. The female MUR was 4.2%, down 0.3% over the year.

For the younger age group, people aged 15-24 years of age, 42,600 young people were unemployed, 3,600 more people than in August 2018. Similarly, young people’s Monthly Unemployment Rate has increased over the year by 1.2% to 14.7%. Looking at the gender breakdown, 37% of this group were women, and 1,400 fewer young women were unemployed than a year ago. The MUR for young women went down by 1.2% to 11.1%. Men accounted for 63% of this age group in August 2019. Over the year the number of young men unemployed increased by 5,100, and their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) went up by 3.4% to 18%.

Labour Force Survey Quarter 2, 2019

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 14:48:00 GMT

On August 27^th the Central Statistics Office published the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the second quarter of 2019, which covers the months April to June. Unemployment decreased by 9.4% over the year, bringing the figure down to 130,800 people. The unemployment rate was 5.4%, a decrease of 0.6 in comparison to the second quarter of 2018.

40,800 people were long-term unemployed and the long-term unemployed rate was 1.7%. In Q2 2018 these figures stood at 48,900 and 2% respectively. In Q2 2019 people who were long-term unemployed accounted for 31.2% of the people who were unemployed; while in Q2 2018 they accounted for 33.9%.

In Q2 2019, 2,300,000 people were employed, a 2% increase on the same quarter in 2018. Of this figure, 20% or 462,000 were working part-time. And of the people working part-time, 24.5% or 113,000 people described themselves as underemployed i.e. they would like to work more hours than they currently can acquire.

Looking at these figures from a regional perspective, the Border (3.6%), Dublin (4.4%) and the Mid-East (5.3%) had lower unemployment rates than the national rate of 5.4%. Five regions had a higher rate and they were the South-West (5.5%), the Mid-West (6.1%), West (6.3%), the Midlands (6.6%), and the South-East (8.1%). Six regions saw the numbers of people employed in their region increase, however the South-East and South-West saw declines of 2.3% and 2% respectively. Five regions saw a decrease in the numbers of people unemployed, but the Mid-West, South-East and South-West saw increases of 6%, 10.8% and 2.7% respectively.

The Participation Rate is the number of people in the labour force i.e. those employed plus those unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the total population aged 15 or over. The participation rate, at 62.1% in Q2 2019, 0.2% lower than in Q2 2018. Looking at this rate from a regional perspective, four regions saw their participation rate decrease, three saw it increase, while one remained unchanged.

Again in this LFS the CSO have revised the Monthly Unemployment figures, however this time they have revised them upwards. So, the Monthly Unemployment Rates (MUR) published for June and July, 2019 have been revised up to 5.3% from 4.5% and 4.6% respectively. In the July the MUR given for people aged 15-24 in June 2019 and July were 10.1% and 10.3% respectively, the revised figures are considerably higher at 14.7% and 14.5%. 3.8% was the previously report MUR for people aged 25-74 in June and July, 2019. According to this LFS these figures now stand at 4% and 4.1% respectively.

Live Register figures for July 2019

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 12:46:00 GMT

On August 1^st, 2019 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Live Register figures for July, 2019. The seasonally adjusted register figure for July was 190,300, the lowest number recorded in this series since February 2008. The unadjusted figure was 206,396, a decline of 28,049 people on the same month last year.

37.1% of the Live Register, or 76,658 people, have been on it for more than a year: 16,864 fewer people than in July, 2018. Young people, aged under 25 years account for 7% of those on the Register for more than a year. The age group with the highest share of this part of the Register are those aged 35-44 years, with 16,044 people. Looking at these figures from a gender perspective, women account for 42% and men 58%. Looking at the figures from a combination of age and gender, the largest group are men aged 25-34 years, accounting for 13% of this part of the Register.

Of the people who have been on the Register for more than a year, 42,552 people have been on it for three years or more, which represents 55.5% of those on the Register for more than a year, and 20.6% of the whole Register. Looking at this figure from the perspective of age, people aged 60-64 years are the biggest group, with 10,493 people in this age range. Looking at it from the perspective of age and gender, men aged 35-44 years are the largest group, accounting for 13% of this part of the Register.

According to the Annex Table there were 40,447 people participating on Activation Programmes in June, 2019: 5,028 fewer participants then in the same month in 2018. Over the year, participation on education and training programmes fell by 1,761 participants to 7,439. There were 33,008 participants on employment programmes, 3,267 fewer people than in June 2018. Participation on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance dropped by 37.3% to 5,038 people, which accounts for 92% of the decrease in employment programmes. Community Employment remains the largest of the activation programmes, and saw a small increase over the year of 1.6% to 21,367 participants.