Press release
Doherty Hails Effectiveness of Jobs Activation Programmes as Long Term Unemployment Drops at Faster Rate
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Labour Force Survey Report reflects twenty-sixth straight quarter of jobs growth
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., today welcomed the publication by the CSO of its Labour Force Survey (LFS) Report for Quarter 4 2018. Minister Doherty particularly pointed to the significant drop in the number of long-term unemployed people as a clear sign of the impact being made by her Department’s job activation programmes.
Today’s report shows:
Employment increased by 50,500 or 2.3% in the year to the fourth quarter of 2018, bringing total employment to a record 2,281,300 people - the twenty-sixth consecutive quarter where employment has grown on an annual basis.
Full-time employment was up 48,200 (+2.7%), and part-time employment was up 2,300 (+0.5%) over the year.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment increased by 8,300 (+0.4%) from Q3 2018, and is the highest ever recorded in the series.
The Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate was 5.7% for Quarter 4 2018 compared to an unemployment rate of 6.4% for the same quarter the previous year.
Minister Doherty emphasised:
“Since Quarter 3 of 2012, we have enjoyed a continual decline in the unemployment rate – proving the effectiveness of this Government’s policies in creating a jobs-friendly economic environment. I am particularly pleased to note that in 2018, while the general unemployment numbers declined by 10.5%, the numbers of long-term unemployed fell at an even faster rate of 16.4%. This is testimony to the great inroads being made by our network of jobs activation programmes – including Community Employment Schemes, Local Employment Services, JobPath, the Rural Social Scheme and TÚS. The greatest pathway to better living conditions for families is via employment and I am delighted to see that our strong job-building record is continuing.”
The full CSO report can be accessed here.
ENDS