Concern at high number of long-term unemployed young people

The number of people on the Live Register fell to its lowest level since 2008 in July, according to latest figures from the CSO.

The Live Register fell by 3,000 (1.2%) between June and July to 256,800, the lowest total since October 2008.

The number of long-term claimants in July was 113,928, 19.7% lower than at the same time last year.

The number of males on the register dropped by 1,900 (1.3%) during the month, while there was a drop of 1,100 (1%) for females.

In the year to July, the level of male claimants was 16% lower at 151,513, and the number of females was down by 11.3% to 122,872.

There were 55,247 casual and part-time workers on the Live Register last month, representing just over a fifth (20.1%) of total claimants.

The number of those aged under 25 fell by 7,606 (19.1%) in the first seven months of 2017.

The National Youth Council of Ireland has expressed concern at the third monthly increase in a row in the number of young jobseekers.

“We are disappointed at the increase in young people signing on,” said James Doorley, the council’s deputy director.

While acknowledging that the increase may be due, in part, to seasonal trends, he said that of even greater concern was the high number of long-term unemployed young people.

“The overall decrease in youth unemployment since 2012 has been welcome; however, we must not lose sight of the underlying problem of long-term youth unemployment. At 11,257, a substantial cohort of young people has been unemployed for 12 months or more,” said Mr Doorley.

The NYCI is seeking an additional €47.4m in Budget 2018 to reduce the number of young people long- term unemployed by the end of 2018.