Martin welcomes new employment figures
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has welcomed the recent Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures which show a rise in employment of almost 90,000 or 4.7% in the first quarter of this year.
This compared with an annual increase of 3.9% in the first quarter of 2005.
For the first time, the total number in the labour force now stands at 2.086m. The figures provided a endorsement of the Government’s pro-jobs policies, Martin added.
The country’s unemployment rate now stands at only 4.4%, one of the lowest in the EU.
“Our recent economic success has been remarkable,” said Martin. “It is important, however, that a firm focus must continue to be fixed on maintaining and promoting competitiveness in order for positive trends in labour market performance to continue.”
The figures also show an encouraging regional performance with employment in the Border, Midlands and West regions increasing by 4.5%, giving employment to an additional 22,000 people.
The figures show that employment has increased in most sectors of the economy with financial and business services showing strong growth.
Mr Martin also welcomed the increase in those in the workforce with a third-level qualification. One-third of the total workforce, or 649,200 people, now had a third-level qualification.
This was an increase of more than 2% on this time last year, the Minister added.
Article courtesy of the Evening Echo.
