Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey says that the most recent figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicate that there are 2,428 more people at work in the county since the formation the Government in May 2016.
The latest Labour Force Study shows that there has been a 36 per cent decline in the live register figures for Clare over that period with the number of people signing on showing a reduction of 2,428 from 6,836 to 4,408.
The biggest decline was in the Tulla area which recorded a 39 per cent drop from 986 to 598. There was a 38 per cent drop in Ennis (3,754 to 2,329); Ennistymon saw a 35 per cent drop (1,095 to 707) while there was a 23 per cent drop in Kilrush (1,001 to 774).
“There are now 16,800 more people at work in the Mid West Region since 2016 with 217,800 now employed in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, representing an overall increase of 8 per cent,” Deputy Carey added.
“As chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development, I am delighted that the jobs recovery has been regionally balanced with more than 162,000 new jobs created outside of Dublin since the beginning of 2016. This accounts for more than six out of every ten new jobs.
“There is no room for complacency about the progress we have made and this is why the Fine Gael-led Government has developed Future Jobs Ireland, a whole-of Government plan to secure Ireland’s economic success.
“That is why we have signed the National Broadband Plan contract. With high speed broadband, we will ensure that 1.1 million people, almost a quarter of our population, will not be left behind. It will now be possible for rural Ireland to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented by the digital economy and it makes remote working possible.
“The strategy is about responding to the changing world of work ensuring that our economy is future-proofed,” Deputy Carey concluded.
