Tánaiste Welcomes Further Drop in Unemployment “Over 100,000 Have Come Off Live Register Since Government Came to Power” – Harney Unemployment Now Stands at 4.6%

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Mary Harney today (Friday 2 June 2000) welcomed the latest unemployment figures which show that Ireland’s rate of unemployment has fallen to well below 5%. The figure now stands at 4.6%.

The live register figure for May 2000 published today stands at 152,871. This is the lowest Live Register figure since June, 1982 and represents a decline during May of 8,925. When seasonally adjusted the decrease is 4,300.

Speaking in Sligo at the presentation of the North-West Region Community Initiative Awards the Tánaiste said "This represents an exceptionally strong performance. The main factor contributing to the latest decrease in unemployment is the continuing buoyancy in the economy as well as the impact of the various initiatives undertaken as part of the Employment Action Plan. The original target in the Plan was to bring unemployment down to 5% by the end of this year. We achieved that target well ahead of time and I am delighted that we are continuing to make progress in reducing the numbers unemployed even further."

"But our success has not made us complacent. The challenge now is to continue to maintain the competitiveness of the economy and to ensure the continued supply of highly skilled and highly motivated workers to fuel continued growth," the Tánaiste said.

The Tánaiste continued "I recognise that the 4.6% who remain unemployed must be a priority for Government and we will continue to pursue policies that will address their plight. A significant element of Government efforts are now directed at upskilling and retraining of the workforce to ensure that all those who want to work can find employment."