Live Register - Employment situation is still dire

WHILE welcoming the tiny glimmer of light at the end of a depressingly long dole queue, it should be greeted with a measure of caution.

According to the Central Statistics Office, the latest figures reflect the first annual decrease in the Live Register in four years. Given the climate of doom and gloom, that is a positive development. But with 442,200 people still on the dole it would be misleading to see it as a dramatic turnabout.

One of the most depressing aspects of the CSO figures is the continuing rise in the number of long-term claimants on the dole. During the past 12 months almost 42% of claimants were on the Live Register for a year or more, an increase of 9%.