More people back to work as number signing on the Live Register drops for 22nd consecutive month – English

Fine Gael TD for Meath West and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Damien English, today (Wednesday) welcomed the news that the unemployment rate has fallen to 11.7%. This represents a drop from 13.6% in April last year.

“Though it is great to see another reduction in unemployment figures, 11.7% is still not good. The number of people without jobs remains too high and there is without doubt more work to be done.

“We are however, in a much better position than we were last year, and the situation has marginally improved even since this time last month. Over 1,000 jobs are being created each month, new businesses are investing in Ireland and there are additional facilities available for Small and Medium sized Enterprises.

“Taking a closer look at the figures you can see that some areas are faring better than others. In the Midlands there has been a drop of just under 5%, while in the south-west there has been a significant drop of almost 9%. All regions of the country should benefit from job growth; spreading the opportunities throughout the country is essential and is part of this Government’s policy.

“The road to recovery has been long and hard. The journey is by no means over, but it is important to recognise that we are moving in the right direction.

“The Government is dedicated to the Action Plan for Jobs, to getting people back to work and to creating opportunities for our young people. We are committed to seeing the Live Register continue to fall and to breathing new life into the Irish economy.”