Unemployment figures - Jobs worry

LET us hope that yesterday’s decade-high unemployment figures are not an indication of things to come.

The number of people signing on the Live Register last month increased by 8,500 pushing the rate of those seeking benefits up to 5.2%, the fifth month in a row that has seen an increase.

Business organisation IBEC points out that losses in the construction sector accelerated, saying 20,000 jobs have already been lost in struggling building firms.

The levels of debt and the prospect of soaring fuel prices if the dollar regains ground against the euro make the prospect of growing unemployment almost too grim to bear. The trend also adds a considerable degree of responsibility to those involved in forthcoming pay talks.