Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has welcomed a fall of more than 14 per cent in the county’s live register as a positive indication that the Government’s job creation strategies are getting more Clare people back to work.
“The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the Live Register in Clare has fallen from 7,309 to 6,283 over the past twelve months. This represents a percentage decrease of 14.04 which is marginally ahead of the national average of 13.92 per cent,” Deputy Carey explained.
“The fact that there are 1,026 fewer Clare people claiming unemployment benefit this year is a sign that the local economy is improving at a steady pace.
“I am acutely aware that it is not all good news and the loss of high quality jobs in long established companies like Roche in Clarecastle will have a profound effect on hundreds of local families. However, with the continuing expansion of the Shannon Free Zone, I am confident that we can provide good employment opportunities for future generations,” he said.
“On a national level, the Live Register has fallen below 300,000 for the first time since 2008; unemployment has dropped from 15 per cent at its peak to less than 8 per cent, and the number of people at work is in excess of two million for the first time in eight years.
“Each new job created in Clare is another family looking forward to a brighter future. We will continue to prioritise job creation, because we believe that only a strong economy, supporting people at work, can pay for the services needed to improve people’s lives in Clare and around the country,” Deputy Carey concluded.
