The seasonally-adjusted rate of unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in eight years, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. Seasonally-adjusted unemployment now stands at 234,200, a seasonally-adjusted fall of 3,700 for the month of March. This is the lowest figure since December 1990, when there were 232,807 people signing on the Live Register.
The rate of unemployment is now 9.4 per cent, while the average seasonally-adjusted figure for the EU is 10.4 per cent. Unemployment has fallen by 27,600 over the past year.
In spite of the underlying downward trend, opposition parties in the Dail have voiced concern over the slow rate of decline in the numbers.
However, the Government greeted yesterday's figures with enthusiasm, claiming the fall was not happening by accident.
The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, said the figures were "clear evidence of the efforts of various statutory and non-statutory bodies to exploit all opportunities likely to solve the unemployment problem".
However, Labour's spokesman on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Tommy Broughan, accused the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney of "turning a blind eye" to unemployment. The figures demonstrated worrying trends in a number of categories, he said.
"The fall-off in the unemployment rate for those aged over 25 years is not significant and simply does not reflect the type of accelerated growth which this country is experiencing," he said.
"Older unemployed have very specific labour market needs which can only be addressed through an integrated approach of training, support and job placement," he added.
Describing the Government's approach to unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment, as "softly-softly", he said that since taking office, Ms Harney has focused very little energy on getting people back to work.
"The annual increase in the numbers signing on for Unemployment Benefit is quite worrying. Some of this increase can be attributed to the numbers requalifying for Unemployment Benefit as they come off Community Employment Schemes. I am concerned that Community Employment is not playing a sufficiently effective role in ensuring that people move into employment rather than returning to the dole," he said.
The Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said the further reduction in the numbers on the live register was welcome, but there was a need to examine why unemployment was not declining at a faster rate, given the general performance of the economy.
Unemployment had fallen by less than 5 per cent in the first three months of the year, a period which saw an increase of almost 15 per cent in the tax-take, he said.
He added that resources should be targeted towards those geographical areas which have been identified as having a particular problem of long-term unemployment and towards those sectors, like young unskilled males, who are not benefiting from the reduction in the live register numbers.
The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed said that while the latest fall in the unadjusted series is welcome, they expressed concern about the increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefit, which has risen from 66,222 in March of last year to 68,701 this year.
