The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said that 'no comfort' can be taken from the small drop in the latest Live Register numbers as this was almost certainly accounted for by emigration and declining labour force participation.
Congress Economic Adviser Paul Sweeney said: "We can take no comfort from these figures. The level of unemployment in Ireland is so high that it really is a national emergency. And the growing numbers of long term unemployed revealed in the CSO data - up by a substantial 24,000 in just one year - is very worrying.
The Government now has a real opportunity - by way the of its forthcoming Jobs Initiative - to tackle unemployment in a bold and dramatic manner. Crucially it must address the steep decline in domestic demand, now at 75% of the level it was at just four years ago. It is only by reversing the collapse in domestic demand that jobs will return to the Irish economy," Mr Sweeney said
