Record employment fends off economic fears for now

Economist Jim Power highlighted the increase in the number of women in the workforce, saying that the employment survey was 'unambiguously positive'

Finance Minister Michael McGrath warned again about the public finances relying on the significant amounts of corporation tax receipts paid by a handful of multinationals.

Employment levels set a fresh record of 2.64 million people working at the start of the summer which has seen unemployment falling to 4.4% despite the global economic uncertainty caused by surging interest rates, the latest Labour Force Survey has revealed.

The Central Statistics Office figures confirm that most parts of the economy with the exception of agriculture, forestry, fishing, and the industry sector expanded employment from the same period last year. Employment also rose in every region, although growth in employment numbers was slight in the Midlands region, according to the figures.