One in 10 workers ‘will be on dole by September’

ONE in 10 of the country’s 2.2 million labour force will be claiming the dole by September, economists are warning.

The Central Statistics Office said 121,000 additional people were signing on to the Live Register in December compared with a year earlier, a 71% increase in just 12 months.

The total number signing on is now 291,363, a rise of 22,700 since November. The register includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers entitled to jobseekers allowance or benefit.