Eamon Gilmore TD

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JOBLESS FIGURES CONTINUE TO HIT HARD IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

Issued : Friday 9 October, 2009

 The Live Register figures published in September show that as far as the Dun Laoghaire Employment Exchange is concerned, there are now 7,912 people on the Live Register. This represents a 108% increase on the figures since August 2008. Dun Laoghaire continues to be hit hard with the rise in jobless figures.

The Live Register figures published in September show that as far as the Dun Laoghaire Employment Exchange is concerned, there are now 7,912 people on the Live Register. This represents a 108% increase on the figures since August 2008. Dun Laoghaire continues to be hit hard with the rise in jobless figures.

The numbers of men under 25 years signing on is at 824 reflecting in part at least the collapse of the construction sector.

No government in the history of the state has ever presided over such a rate of increase in the level of unemployment.

Unemployment is now a cutting a swathe of social destruction through local communities around the country. Unless action is taken, long term unemployment will leave a devastating legacy in communities from which it will take decades to recover.

Unemployment is also contributing hugely to our economic problems. With every job lost costing the Exchequer €20,000 through extra social welfare spending and tax forgone, the additional cost of the 165,000 added to the Live Register over the past twelve months amounts to €3.3bn.

It is obvious that we will never get the Exchequer situation under control, until we get a grip on the unemployment situation. But the extraordinary thing is that the government attaches so little priority to either job creation or job retention.

We need to fight for every single job. We need to consider rapidly expanding the Community Employment schemes. We need to provide education and re- training for those who have lost their jobs. Doing nothing on the unemployment situation is no longer an option.