As Swords Unemployment reaches nearly 4,500 Budget Must Tackle Joblessness
Issued : Tuesday 2 February, 2010
There are 4418 on the Live Register at the end of November. 2136 additional people signed on during the past 12 months in the Swords area, which includes Donabate and Portrane, according to my analysis of the CSO figures for the month of November.
This represents an annual increase of 93.6% during this period which compares with a 54.8% increase nationally, and a 60.1% increase with in Dublin generally. This clearly illustrates that Swords continues to be very badly hit by the recession with 4418 people are now signing on.
Unfortunately in comparison with last month’s decrease of 17 persons signing on, the Live Register figures with respect to Swords have increased for the month of November with the number of people having increased by 134. The monthly increase of 3.1% in the Live Register for Swords compares with a -0.6% decrease for Dublin and 0.3% increase for all of the country. With monthly decreases of 4.5% in September and O.4% in October the upward trend again in November is a disappointment.
There are now 783 people under 25 years of age on the live register in Swords, an increase of 24 people since the end of October, which is unfortunately a 3.2% increase in the month. Since taking office, this government has watched unemployment amongst under 25s treble. Currently Ireland has 83,362 young people who cannot find work and who are not in full-time education. Cutting social welfare payments for U25s is not the answer. Already too many young people are struggling to survive on what little they have.
There is a €4bn gap in our public finances that needs to be closed, and one of the best ways of doing that, is to reduce the numbers of people who have been forced onto the dole queues. Although we face into what has been signalled as one of the toughest budgets in living memory, it is imperative that it contains measures to tackle joblessness.
It must provide a coherent jobs strategy which would include elements such as a ‘Bridge the Gap’ work experience programme for graduates and apprentices; a skills drive for people who have lost their jobs, and PRSI breaks for employers who create jobs for people who are currently out of work.
