Long-term joblessness above average

Ireland may be emerging from its economic woes, but it now has the second- highest percentage of long-term unemployed among the EU 15 countries.

The Nevin Economic Research Institute said that, by the end of the first quarter of this year, 61.4% of unemployed people had been looking for work for more than a year.

Greece, at 71.4%, is the only country in the EU 15 to have a worse percentage.