Mixed reaction to latest job figures

A NORTHSIDE councillor, who represents a town with one of highest unemployment rates in the country, has questioned the latest Live Register figures published last week.

The figures for March show the continued decline in the number of people out of work as the unemployment rate fell to 10 per cent.

It marked the 40th consecutive month of decrease and the figures are down from a high of 15.1 per cent in February 2012.

However, despite the positive trend, the total number of people on the Live Register in Balbriggan is now 4,032, down from a figure of 5,180 when this Government took office in March 2011. In Swords, the figure is 3,340, down from 4,621.

Cllr Tony Murphy (Ind), who represents the Balbriggan Local Electoral Area (LEA), believes the figures

“don’t reflect the reality that exists in Balbriggan and wider North Dublin area

?.

Cllr Murphy believes the figures mask the fact that a high level of participants are engaged in Government activation schemes.

“Participants in these schemes are removed from the Live Register as if they had returned to paid employment,

? he told Northside People.

“They have not returned to paid employment. We need real job opportunities for the people of North Dublin. Unemployment blackspots need more than just token job creation.

“Balbriggan, one of the fastest growing towns in the country, with a population now in excess of 22,000, has a reported unemployment figure of more than 4,000 which significantly exceeds the national average.

?

Cllr Murphy said the impact of unemployment on a community like Balbriggan was both

“devastating and demoralising

?.

“We need serious commitment from this Government to support communities in the North Dublin area,

? he added.

However, Brendan Ryan, a Labour TD for Dublin Fingal, welcomed the figures.

“I am very encouraged by the continued downward trend in Fingal and throughout the country,

? said Deputy Ryan.

“This is real proof that recovery is taking hold. We are now seeing a real decrease in unemployment levels and this trend is very positive.

“We still have a long way to go but the only route back to prosperity is through job creation and employment.

?

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, also welcomed the figures and said that every job created is a life back on track, a family improved and a community changed.

“It is only through sustained job creation that we can grow tax revenues and ultimately put money back into people’s pockets through income tax cuts,

? stated Minister Bruton.

“That is why, since day one, this Government has placed jobs at the heart of everything we do through the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work strategies.

?

Minister Bruton conceded that there were still too many people unemployed and

“far too many families who have still not felt the benefit of the fragile recovery which is underway

?.

“Our goal is sustainable full employment – a job for everyone in the country, not just in 2018, but for years and decades to come,

? he added.

“Twice in my lifetime I have seen full employment achieved, only to be squandered through poorly planned, boom-bust policies. I am determined to put in place plans to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

?

Meanwhile, Cllr Ray McAdam (FG), who represents the North Inner City Local Electoral Area (LEA), welcomed news that the number of people under 25 signing on has dropped by 20.1 per cent since March 2014.

“I hope this will give hope to the families who have had to deal with emigration due to employment needs over the past number of years,

? said Cllr McAdam.

?

“As the economy continues to grow, it is essential that jobs are created for young people so they have career options both at home and abroad.

?