Jobless rate spirals as 167,000 join dole in 2009

ALMOST 167,000 people lost their jobs during 2009 – a reduction of 8.1% in the number of people at work in the space of 12 months.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office also show that unemployment rate is continuing to rise, although at a slightly slower rate than before.

But the stark scale and speed of the downturn in the jobs market was revealed in the latest quarterly national household survey published by the CSO yesterday. It shows that 267,400 persons were out of work at the end of 2009 – with 97,700 additions to the jobless total coming during the year – an annual increase of almost 58%.