Unemployment rate falls to 11.9%
Unemployment has fallen to 11.9%, according to figures on people claiming dole payments.
The Live Register has recorded a total of 398,069 people signing on – further evidence of significant improvement in the labour market after a report last week showed 61,000 more people in jobs last year.
The dole figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that the number seeking benefits has fallen for 20 months in a row and the unemployment rate has come down from a peak of 15.1%.
But the crisis of people out of work for the long-term remains a serious problem, with the CSO revealing more than 180,000 people on the register have been signing on for more than a year.
In the year to February, the number of long-term unemployed fell by just 8,971.
Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection, said the figures were very encouraging but called for employers to take on apprentices to get people back into work.
“A 12% unemployment rate is still far too high and that is why, this year and beyond, my absolute priority will be to ensure that the live register falls substantially further, with full employment the central target,” she said.
“Employers will be key to this. We want employers in Ireland to follow the example of their counterparts in countries like Germany and Austria and be willing to give not only young jobseekers but also long-term unemployed people the necessary work, training and apprenticeship opportunities.”
The CSO report showed a 30,807 drop in the number of people on the register over the 12 months to February.
The total is now back down to levels last experienced in November last year - before that the live register had not been below the 400,000 mark since May 2009.
