Numbers on Live Register drop by 5.9% in Dublin in 2013 – Rock
Fine Gael’s Glasnevin/Drumcondra Representative, Noel Rock has welcomed a 5.9% drop in the number of people on the Live Register in Dublin over the last 12 months. Mr. Rock was speaking following the publication of figures by the Central Statistics Office, which show that, nationally, the Live Register has now dropped for the last 18 months in a row.
“These figures clearly show that a positive downward trend has been established in the number of people signing on the Live Register in Dublin over the last 12 months. There was a 5.9% drop in the number of people on the Live Register in Dublin in December 2013, compared with a year earlier.
“It is worth noting two things: unemployment is coming down but, equally importantly, the number of people who are in jobs is also going up – so the drop in unemployment can’t simply be explained away by emigration. Equally, it’s worth noting that the unemployment rate is now 12.4%, down from a high of 15.1% in 2012 and on course to go below the European average of 12.1% in a matter of months: this is significant
“Nationally, the number of people on the Live Register has dropped for the 18th month in a row, and is now at its lowest level for four and a half years. We know that this is due to new jobs being created in the real economy, with 58,000 more people joining the workforce over the last 12 months. We must build on this progress in the year ahead.
“The figures also show that the long-term unemployed are finally moving off the Live Register. This can be attributed to a number of schemes implemented by the Government to specifically target those who have been out of work for a long time, such as the Jobs Plus Initiative, under which the Government covers a quarter of what it costs to hire someone who has been on the Live Register for more than 12 months.
“Unemployment is on a downward trajectory in Dublin, which is very encouraging. But the Government fully recognises that unemployment rates remain far too high and that we have a long way to go. We will continue to work in the year ahead to get key areas – such as retail, construction and domestic banking – back to sustainable levels.
“Through the Action Plan for Jobs, led by Minister Richard Bruton TD, we have the first cross-government approach to job creation. This year’s Action Plan will be published by the Government in the coming weeks, and I am confident that it will contain a further suite of measures to help small businesses in Dublin to grow, and to give the county the best possible chance of attracting inward investment.
“Job creation is now growing at its fastest level since 2007. When this Government took office, nearly 7,000 private sector jobs were being lost every month. Now, almost 5,000 are being created every month. This is progress that I am determined to build on for the people of Dublin in the year ahead.”