A NEW survey has claimed that there is a shocking 60 per cent rate of unemployment in one Southside suburb.
The survey carried out by Ballyfermot Sinn Féin in the greater Cherry Orchard area suggests that 60.28 per cent of locals are unemployed.
The survey was published as figures from the CSO out last week recorded a monthly decrease of 700 in May.
According to the CSO, the numbers on the Live Register fell by 11,170 (2.6 per cent) and now stand at 421,737 on an annual basis.
This indicates that the unemployment rate in May stands at 13.7 per cent.
However, Sinn Fein claims that this does not reflect their findings on the ground where they say the percentages are considerably higher in unemployment
‘blackspots’.
In their survey of homes in Elmdale, Cherry Orchard and Croftwood they knocked on 895 doors and the 283 that answered amounted to a total of 1,073 occupants.
Of these, 642 (59.83 per cent) were waged and 387 (60.28) per cent were unemployed.
Sinn Féin’s Ballyfermot representative, Daithà Doolan, said the purpose of the survey was to
“identify at first hand the true level of unemployment experienced by residents
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“The findings of our survey are shocking and should act as a wake up call to local Government TDs,
? he said.
“We knocked on every door in Cherry Orchard. The stories we heard were heartbreaking. Families are struggling with unemployment and emigration.
“The findings show that a massive 60.28 per cent of those surveyed are unemployed. Even more concerning is the fact that over 85 per cent are long-term unemployed.
“This is simply not acceptable. It is only by a concerted, coordinated effort by all TDs that we can fix this problem.
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He added:
“I am calling on the Government TDs to do what is right and provide for an effective and real job stimulus plan for Ballyfermot.
“Sinn Féin has a comprehensive jobs plan,
‘Create Jobs-Create Growth’, which outlines in detail how a e13 billion investment in job creation would create 156,000 jobs. We are calling on the TDs to implement this plan and create employment.
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Mr Doolan added that he had sent a copy of the survey to each of the local TDs along with a copy of his party’s jobs document.
“I have asked for a meeting with them to discuss how we can work together to tackle unemployment in our community,
? he said.
“Sitting back doing nothing is not an option. We need action and we need it now.
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Deputy Michael Conaghan (Lab), one of the local Government TDs who represents the area, said that since his election to the Dáil he had worked hard to tackle the crisis of long-term and youth unemployment.
“I have also been very active in raising my concerns that unemployment is treated as if it is a problem that is evenly distributed geographically,
? he said.
“In reality, as clearly shown by the recent census, there are undoubtedly unemployment blackspots.
“I have been very active in helping to bring the planned National Children’s Hospital to our doorstep, at the St James’s site. This will be a very significant source of employment for former local construction workers when building starts and for other category of workers when the hospital opens.
“Specific to Cherry Orchard, for the last year and a half I have been working with the local partnership and community leaders to get employment andtraining initiatives for young people in the area funded and up and running.
“Two of these projects are due to start, one before the end of this month, and a third is under consideration.
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The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed also referred to the
“striking feature
? of the number of people on the Live Register for more than a year.
In a statement they said:
“It is well documented that the longer someone is unemployed the harder it is for them to get back to work.
“The INOU is deeply concerned that insufficient work is been undertaken by the Government to address this issue and in particular for those who are already long-term unemployed.
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