04/07/2008

'Black Friday', As Unemployment Rises

Ireland's unemployment figures saw a record rise last month, according to the Statistics Office, causing one politician to brand today 'Black Friday'.

The number of people signing on the Live Register has swelled by over 19,000, the largest monthly increase ever.

Men counted for the majority of the latest rise.

The Central Statistics Officer has now suggested there are more than 217,000 people out of work in the country.

The growing unemployment rate now stands at 5.7%, a 0.3-point increase since May.

According to government figures, joblessness has increased by 54,000 in the last year, which is also a new annual record.

Fine Gael's Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar said today would be seen as Black Friday for Irish workers.

"Since the last election, when the Fianna Fáil Government scraped back into power on the back of false economic promises, at least 54,000 people have lost their jobs and the live register has risen by a third," said Mr Varadkar.

(PR/JM)

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