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Live Register falls for 25 consecutive months to 11.5% in July

Minister Humphreys welcomes the figures and pledges to continue Pathways to Work reforms to get jobseekers back to work

The Minister of State for Employment, Community and Social Supports, Kevin Humphreys T.D. today (Wednesday, 30th July 2014) welcomed the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office showing that the number of people on the Live Register has fallen by 37,461 to 404,515, an annual decrease of 8.5%.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has now fallen to 11.5% as compared with a peak of 15.1% just two years ago.

Commenting on the figures, the Minister said: “The Live Register increases every summer due to seasonal factors, such as the return of Back to Education Allowance participants to the Live Register during school and college holidays. When allowance is made for these factors, the numbers on the Register fell by 3,400 during July. This is the 25th consecutive month in which the Register has fallen”

The Minister referred to the Research Note published earlier this week by the ESRI which shows that inequality in income distribution has reduced. The Research Note points out that the decline in circumstances has been most acute for people who lost their jobs. “That is precisely why the Government has made job creation and tackling unemployment its number one priority. Through the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work strategies, the Government is succeeding on this front with 70,000 additional people returned to work and the unemployment rate falling continuously for two years,” said the Minister.

The Department of Social Protection will spend more than €1 billion this year on work, training and education schemes and supports for jobseekers and more than €280 million on Family Income Supplement – a weekly tax-free top-up payment for employees on low pay with children.

Minister Humphreys concluded: “The majority of people on the Live Register have a strong financial incentive to work – 73% of people on the Live Register are getting a maximum of €188.00 per week. I will work with the Tánaiste to continue the reforms set out in the Pathways to Work strategy which are getting jobseekers back to work, building a better quality life for them and building a stable and prosperous society for all.”

ENDS