Concerns over surge in number of jobless males

THE huge increase in males out of work in Limerick is a very worrying trend in the jobs crisis.

Fine Gael’s Kieran O’Donnell comments came after 503 of the 605 jobless added to the register last month were men.

Figures released showed there are 21,000 people unemployed in Limerick.

The party’s deputy finance spokesman said: “We have managed to reach this figure even before the latest tranche of the 1,500-plus people to lose their jobs in Dell, with 600 to lose their jobs this month. Limerick is already an unemployment blackspot where we have unemployment reaching an alarming figure of 21,000 for Limerick overall, with over 3/4 of this, at 15,037 people, being made up by Limerick city.

“For the month of June, Limerick overall has seen an increase of 1,190 people in the Live Register. More worryingly, Limerick city continues to have a higher increase than Limerick county overall accounting for three quarters of the increase, with 892 people joining the Live Register in the city, an increase of 6.3%, well above the national average figure of 5.5%.

Mr O’Donnell said: “In the mid-west, which had the highest regional rate of increase in unemployed males in the country at 4.5%, Limerick city, at an increase of 5.25% is driving this rate, and accounts for almost half of the increase for the entire region.”

He raised the crisis with EU Commissioner for Jobs and Employment Vladimir Spidla during his visit to Limerick in recent days.

“I impressed on him that Limerick and this region is on course to have unemployment of the order of in excess of 15% by the end of the year, as against the European Commission projection for the Eurozone overall of 9.9%. This means that our projected unemployment rate is 50% above the Eurozone rate. I conveyed to the commissioner the need to get money flowing into Limerick through the Globalisation Fund as quickly as possible, and how this funding can support the Limerick Regeneration Project, and the job-creation of this initiative.

“I continue to look forward to the publication of the recommendations of the Denis Brosnan-led Multi Agency Jobs Taskforce and I will be doing all I can to ensure it will be backed up by adequate and appropriate government resources,” he said.