Union leaders warn of generation lost to unemployment
Union leaders fear a generation could be lost to unemployment as numbers claiming state benefit today soared to more than 400,000 for the first time on record.
As official figures revealed people signing-on almost doubled in the last year, Congress said the crisis needs the same intense focus and attention as the banking meltdown.
Congress economic advisor Paul Sweeney maintained the latest figures were a clear indictment of failed Government policies.
He called for an immediate allocation of €1bn to protect and create jobs.
“Broken banks can be fixed, it is much harder to repair lives broken by unemployment and lack of opportunity,” Mr Sweeney said.
“Government has a clear responsibility to each and every one of those 400,000 people.
“We need to respond quickly to this crisis, or we face the prospect of losing a generation to unemployment. We must maximise the numbers at work and create new jobs.”
The Central Statistics Office revealed the unemployment rate is now 11.8%, with more than twice as many men as women on the Live Register.
The figures were released as a pharmaceutical plant Corden PharmaChem announced 90 job cuts at its plant in Little Island, Cork.
Management said the decision to phase out manufacturing from autumn of this year had been taken, with great regret, after comprehensive review and analysis of its operations.
Seven people will remain at the site to retain research and development.
Willie Penrose, Labour spokesman on enterprise, claimed the jobs crisis was now worse than the 1980s.
“Those of us who lived through the 1980s hoped that we would never again see such numbers on the Live Register; now we are seeing figures of more than 100,000 greater than anything seen in the worst days of the 1980s,” he said.
“These are not just cold statistics. Everyone of the almost 200,000 added to the Live Register represents a human tragedy for the individual who has lost his or her job.”
Mr Penrose called for banks to be temporarily nationalised to encourage lending and tax breaks for employers to take on more workers.
“If the government continues to ignore the unemployment crisis the country will continue to not just suffer economic damage, but also face the prospect of long term unemployment doing untold social damage to communities all over the country,” he added.
Avine McNally, of the Small Firms Association said Ireland’s ability to create jobs has been severely damaged by losses to competitiveness.
“What we need is strong leadership from all sectors of the community, to continue to grow our indigenous companies, and trade our way out of this recession,” she said.
“By focusing on the factors that are within our control domestically, rather than simply blaming global recession, the currency crisis, and the credit crunch for our misfortunes, we can sustain and create jobs to ensure businesses are prepared for when the global upturn does arrive.”
Mark Fielding, chief executive of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said the figures confirmed the worst fears.
“The labour market remains in a state of crisis,” he said.
“Little or no action has been taken since this crisis began and if the Government do not stop ’dithering’ and take affirmative action, there will be half a million people out of work by year end.”
