4th March 2015
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, today (Wednesday) welcomed the publication of the latest Live Register figures, showing a continuing fall in the numbers of people signing on, marking 39 consecutive months of decrease.
All 8 regions have shown fall in live register over past 12 months
The figures also show signs that the positive trends are accelerating, such as:
- On a seasonally adjusted basis, 4,300 people left the live register in the month
- The standardised unemployment rate is at 10.1%, down 0.2% in the month, and down from a high of 15.1% in February 2012, when the Government launched and started implementing the Action Plan for Jobs
- Annual decreases occurred in all 8 regions – with the fastest decrease occurring in the Mid West region.
The figures also show that, in gross terms, 141,151 people left the live register to take up work during the last 12 months. This means that the exit rate from the live register into work is running at 40% - up from 33% in 2012. This provides an indication of the level of churn in the labour market and the degree to which new jobs opportunities are impacting on the numbers of people on the live register.
Every person who leaves the Live Register to take up employment saves the Exchequer approximately €20,000 per annum in reduced social welfare expenditure and increased tax revenue, and helps to create a reinforcing cycle of positive economic benefits.
Welcoming today’s figures, Minister Bruton said:
“Every job created is a life back on track, a family changed, a community improved. It is job-creation that allows us to increase tax revenues, cut income tax, improve services and ultimately create a better country for people to live in. That is why we have placed job-creation at the very heart of the Government’s agenda.
“Today’s figures are hugely encouraging. We have a long way to go and many people are still not feeling the benefits. However today’s numbers are the latest in a list of signs that the plan is working. The challenge now is twofold – firstly to press on with our plan and ensure that we implement the changes necessary to continue and build on the progress nationally. Secondly, through the Regional Plans, we will ensure that we accelerate job-creation in every region, particularly those where progress has not been as fast.
“Regional job creation is a key focus of Action Plan for Jobs 2015. Today’s figures provide encouraging news on this front, with the live register now falling in all 8 regions. The focus now is to build on and accelerate this, to ensure that every community in the country feels the benefits of the recovery.
“The recovery remains fragile. If we continue to implement the right policies, through the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work, I am convinced that we can accelerate the jobs growth and secure full employment by 2018. This won’t happen automatically – it will depend on political stability, and carefully designed, well-implemented plans.
“However today’s figures give us further confidence that if we continue to implement our plans, we can continue to grow jobs right around the country – ultimately delivering better services, putting money into people’s pockets, and improving people’s lives”.
ENDS
For further information:
Press Office, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation 01- 6312200 or press.office@djei.ie
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