Live register - Long-term jobless still a concern

With good news rarer than hens’ teeth these days, it is, perhaps, timely to applaud the Government’s welcome news that the number of people signing on the live register has fallen below 400,000 for the first time since May 2009 and the crash which brought the economy to its knees.

Essentially, what this means is that more than 30,000 fewer people are now claiming benefits at labour exchanges across the country than a year ago. Such bright statistics put the overall unemployment rate at 11.9%, the lowest level in over four years, and below the eurozone average of 12%.

It also means that for thousands of families struggling to make ends meet, things are a little better. People who a year ago were mired in debt are now bringing wages home. The upbeat signs are the economy is finally turning the corner. For those back at work, a modicum of dignity is restored.

Yet, with 398,300 people still on the live register at the end of February, the Republic continues to face an unemployment crisis of enormous proportions. Its sheer scale should not be underestimated simply because there is some good news to celebrate for a change. It would indeed be folly if the Fine Gael/Labour coalition were to lose the run of itself and claim the country was saved.

As households up and down the country know to their cost, the loss of so many jobs in a blizzard of failed companies has been a profoundly depressing experience for the nation. The lesson people should never forget is that it was in the wake of the so-called Celtic Tiger boom that the country’s property bubble imploded, causing negative equity on a massive scale and a tsunami of emigration as many of our brightest young people left — an exodus glibly described as a “lifestyle choice” though, in reality, for most of them it was a desperate search for work.

With the tide at last turning, figures issued by the CSO show that for the 20th successive month in a row the number of people signing on the register has fallen. Last month, for instance, the number of people claiming benefits dropped by 2,500.

That said, however, it should not be forgotten that long-term unemployment, the disheartening label of people unfortunate enough to be out of work for a year or more, is still a major problem. Though Ireland has one of the highest rates in Europe, the Government shows little sign of eradicating the social cancer of long-term unemployment. If and when that happens it really will be a cause for rejoicing.