16th January 2018
Minister Humphreys and Minister Ring welcome continued employment growth and further reduction in unemployment
Unemployment rate down on annual basis in 7 out of 8 regions
Over 4 out of 5 additional jobs created since the Government was formed based outside Dublin
The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys T.D., together with the Minister for Rural & Community Development Michael Ring TD, have welcomed the New Labour Force data released today by the Central Statistics Office. The Survey, which has replaced the Quarterly National Household Survey, provides data on employment and unemployment in Ireland.
Speaking today, Minister Humphreys said: “These figures are very encouraging: we are on a path to full employment. Perhaps most encouragingly, they tell us that over 4 out of 5 new jobs created since the Government was formed were outside Dublin and that unemployment has fallen substantially in every region since the first Action Plan for Jobs was launched in 2012. This is evidence that Government policies are working and making a difference to the lives of our citizens across the country. In spite of the positive trends, however, there is still work to do with some regions doing better than others, and I will be putting a clear focus on regional job growth in my new role as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.”
The CSO data shows that employment is still growing strongly.
- The level of employment is 2,206,680 up by 2.2% or 48,100 from the same quarter in 2016.
- When adjusted for seasonal factors, employment increased by 0.5% or 10,300 over the previous quarter.
Provisional CSO estimates suggested that the unemployment rate fell to 6.2% in December 2017.*
The long term unemployment rate decreased from 4.2% to 2.8% year on year to Q3 2017.
At a regional level, in the 12 months leading to Q3 2017, unemployment is down in 7 out of 8 regions.
Commenting on the figures, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD said: “I am delighted to see such positive results for job growth in rural Ireland in Quarter 3 of 2017. The Action Plan for Rural Development, which I launched last year with Minister Humphreys, is focussed on ensuring that the economic recovery is felt throughout the entire country. The creation of rural jobs is central to this, and I look forward to working closely with the Minister as she focuses on this effort in her new brief.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Press Office, D/Business, Enterprise and Innovation ph. 01 6312200 or press.office@dbei.gov.ie
Notes to the Editor:
*The provisional unemployment rate of 6.2% for December 2017 should not be compared with the figure of 6.1% previously announced for November 2017 as the methodology for compiling the data has changed.
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