merrion street

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton today welcomed the latest monthly unemployment statistics from the Central Statistics Office, showing that the official unemployment rate has fallen from 8.8% in February to 8.6 % in March.

The statistics also show:

• On a seasonally adjusted basis, 2,900 fewer people were unemployed in March compared to February
• 23,400 fewer people were unemployed in March compared with twelve months earlier
• Unemployment among people aged between 15-24 has fallen by a full percentage point in a month

Minister Bruton commented:

At the core of everything we are trying to do is to build a strong economy so as to deliver a strong society. Only by delivering a strong economy can we provide the opportunity to deliver measures to support the creation of a better society.

In recent years we have seen major progress in the jobs market, with the unemployment rate falling from over 15% to below 9%. It is hugely encouraging that the numbers of people unemployed continue to fall steadily, particularly as given that traditionally it becomes more difficult to convert increased job-creation into reduced unemployment.

For more information read the press release here.