03/12/2008

Unemployment Surges To 277,000

Figures from the Live Register of unemployment benefit claimants have shown that November's figures rose by almost 17,000.

The number of those claiming jobseekers' benefits is at its highest level since September 1996, rising by 16,900 to 277,200.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) now estimates that the unemployment rate has reached 7.8%, compared to 6.3% at the end of the third quarter. The last time this rate was exceeded was in April 1998, and is 66% higher than this time last year.

Brian Cowen has come under particular pressure following the publication amid angry scenes in the Daíl as he defended the Government’s economic strategy.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny accused the Government of having no coherent strategy.

“The problem now Taoiseach is that you have job losses of 10,000 a month . . . no confidence in consumer spending, and you exacerbated that by imposing a VAT increase which is now devastating a complete swathe of countryside 50 miles south of the Border,” said Mr Kenny.

Males accounted for the majority of the monthly increase in unemployment, with 13,600 joining the register compared to 3,300 females. This indicates that many of the losses came from the struggling construction sector.

(DW)


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