merrion street

Tánaiste Joan Burton has welcomed the latest sharp fall in the numbers on the Live Register and said the new Employment and Youth Activation Charter will help further speed up the progress being made in reducing unemployment.

Today’s figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of people on the Live Register in September stood at 370,050, a reduction of 38,620 (9%) on September 2013 and 59,285 (14%) on September 2012.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate now stands at 11.1%, down from a crisis peak of 15.1% in 2012.

The Tánaiste said:

Through the Pathways to Work and Action Plan for Jobs strategies, the Government has implemented a series of schemes and supports to grow employment and today’s figures are further evidence of the progress being made. People are returning to work in significant numbers, and as the economic recovery continues to pick up pace, I am confident we will speed up that progress.

To do so, we will ensure that tackling unemployment remains our key priority. This is Jobs Week, and more than 160 separate events are taking place nationwide to assist jobseekers return to work. In addition, we have launched the Employment and Youth Activation Charter, a major initiative to drive increased recruitment from the Live Register.

Employers who sign this Charter commit that at least 50% of candidates considered for interview will be taken from the Live Register. They will also implement a selection of measures which seek to prime those who are out of work to take up jobs.

Read the full press release here.