The Labour Party has accused the Government of complacency over job figures published in the latest Quarterly National Household Survey.
The figures, published yesterday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), indicate a rise in employment of 4,400 to 1.749 million and a rise of 2,800 in the number of those out of work.
Although the figures represent a slight turnaround, the Labour Party has accused the Government of costing the country jobs by not identifying or protecting jobs at risk.
Mr Tommy Broughan, TD, Labour's spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, warned that, in light of recent job losses, it would only be a matter of time before the live register reached the 200,000 level.
Calling on the to Government to protect existing jobs, Mr Broughan said there must be a renewed effort to attract employment into areas hit by closures and job-training opportunities for those who have lost their jobs.
The latest figures do not take account of the most recent job losses at companies such as Braun, Dell and Tellabs, which announced 400 cuts yesterday.