Rise in users of State-funded training

The number of long-term unemployed people availing of State-funded training programmes — such as Fás/Solas programmes and the recently discontinued JobBridge initiative — has recently increased, new CSO figures show, despite data in the past week indicating a further drop in the country’s unemployment rate.

Earlier this week, the CSO reported Ireland’s unemployment rate dipped from 7.3% in November to 7.2% in December, having been just under 9% 12 months earlier.

Yesterday, the office’s more detailed live register data showed a 3,300, or 1.2%, seasonally adjusted decrease in the number of people signing on for jobseekers’ allowance, last month.