1,200 fall in unemployment

THE number of people out of work fell by 1,200 to 284,300 last month bringing some relief to the Government which has faced criticism for the steady increase in the Live Register since March.

However the August Live Register figures, issued yesterday by the Central Statistics Office, show the total number of people signing on in August is still up 6,600 on the same month last year.

In recent months the Government has questioned the relevance of the figures, arguing that the upward trend was due to administrative changes rather than underlying economic trends. Ministers have argued that the annual labour force survey gives a better indication of the state of the jobs market and have ordered that a quarterly survey be undertaken from next January.

Budget discussions and possible talks on a programme to replace the PCW, are also likely to centre on job creation measures and on how tax policy could improve job creation.

Commenting on the figures, Democratic Left deputy, Mr Eric Byrne, said that despite "encouraging signs" joblessness remained unacceptably high.

Measures to eliminate poverty traps and provide resources for the long-term unemployed must form part of the next Budget, he said.

Opposition parties however remained critical of Government economic policies, which they say are failing to tackle unemployment.

The Fianna Fail spokesperson on Enterprise and Employment, Ms Mary O'Rourke said the live register needs to fall more rapidly to make a dent in the figures.

Progressive Democrats leader Ms Mary Harney said the latest figures highlight the Government's failure to make any progress.

"The Government has failed dismally to translate economic growth into increased employment opportunities for a huge section of the population," she said.

She called on the Government to "spell out" its targets for reducing unemployment.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) warned that while the jobless figure has fallen, the Government cannot afford to "sit back".

INOU chairperson, Mr Paul Billings, urged the Government to ensure that all available resources are targeted at those at the bottom of the income tax scale in the next Budget.

"Tax reform, improvements in services and investments in new initiatives must all be prooved for their potential impact on unemployed people before they are allowed to be part of the next Budget" he said.