Unemployment falling - Alarm bells ring despite jobs advance

Yesterday’s unemployment figures show that slow, steady progress is being made in confronting the jobs’ crisis. 

The latest Quarterly National Household Survey figures from the CSO could, in an ideal world, be better but the 11.5% rate is a five-year low and represents the eighth consecutive quarterly fall.

This is the lowest rate since the final quarter of 2009 and records an increase of 0.2% — 4,300 jobs — in the second quarter. Even if not spectacular the figures are reassuring and the cause for some, or even more, tentative optimism.