55% of jobless without work for over 12 months

MORE than half of the 295,700 unemployed people have been out of work in excess of 12 months, official jobless figures show.

People classified as long-term unemployed now account for over 55% of all unemployed people compared to 22% two years ago.

According to the latest quarterly figures from the Central Statistics Office, 162,800 people have been out of work for longer than a year — an increase of 50,200 over the past 12 months.