Recession ends but . . .

THE economy may have technically emerged from recession but almost 445,000 people are now signing on the dole – the highest number in the history of the state.

The latest economic figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 2.7% in the first three months of this year, compared with the fourth quarter of last year. The figures show that a return to growth in Ireland was largely due to a surge in exports.

The bad news, however, was that other seasonally adjusted figures from the CSO show that despite the return to economic growth the numbers on the Live Register increased from 439,100 in May to 444,900 in June, a jump of 5,800. This month’s figure shows an increase of 37,200 compared with the same month last year.