Number in jobs falls 5.5% to 1998 level as 108,000 leave workforce

THE number of people in employment fell by 5.5% in the first quarter of 2010, with 108,000 leaving the workforce over the previous 12 months, according to the latest Quarterly National Household Survey.

The Central Statistics Office, which revealed the figures, said employment levels were now back at a level last reached in 1998.

The number of people officially recorded as unemployed grew by 52,200 to 275,600 over the 12-month period to last March – a jump of 23%.