Government have failed on employment, says Opposition

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has today dismissed Opposition claims that the latest unemployment figures are devastating, and show a "litany of despair".

Seasonally adjusted data from the Central Statistics Office show there was a live register increase of 5,800 in January bringing the total number signing on to 434,700.

The standardised unemployment rate in January was 12.7%, compared with 12.4% in the third quarter of 2009.

The monthly increase in the seasonally adjusted series consisted of an increase of 2,400 males and 3,400 females.