‘We have no life or future here’

Hundreds of the working poor and the self-employed joined the unemployed in a 30m-long queue outside an international jobs fair in Cork yesterday.

The fair saw everyone from teenagers to men in their 50s lining up in the hope of finding a job overseas where they could use their skills and earn a decent salary.

The event, which one Canadian employer described as “depressing”, took place on the same day that Fine Gael and Labour held a press conference to mark their two years in power. Their event was named: ‘The Plan is Working.’