merrion street

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor today welcomed the Monthly Unemployment figures for February published by the Central Statistics Office, showing that the official unemployment rate has fallen from 6.7% in January to 6.6% in February and from 8.4% in February 2016.

The statistics also show:

• On a seasonally adjusted basis, 2,900 fewer people were unemployed in February compared to January 
• 36,000 fewer people were unemployed in February compared with twelve months earlier 
• Unemployment among people aged between 15-24 has fallen by 0.6% in a month 

Commenting on today’s figures Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:

It is very gratifying to hear these latest statistics from the CSO, showing that 2,900 less people were unemployed in February compared to January. It’s very positive news also that 36,000 fewer people were unemployed in February compared to a year ago. The challenge now is to keep that growth going and I’ll be working with Government to ensure we provide the best possible environment in which to grow jobs. These are more than statistics. These are real people's lives being transformed.