Welcome upturn - Unemployment rate falls

THE persistent fall in the number of people registered as unemployed must be welcomed. Figures published yesterday show unemployment stood at 7.1% this January, down from 8.5% just 12 months ago. 

The number of people unemployed is dropping by, on average, 2,500 every month. In the last 12 months, the number of people out of work fell by 29,800, from 184,600 to 154,800 this month, a reduction of 16%.

By any criteria, these are impressive figures. In the context to the economic whirlwind that swept the country over the last decade, they are spectacular.