SOME 300,000 more people are now on the Live Register than when the general election took place three years ago, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has said after the latest unemployed figures show 452,882 people are now receiving assistance.
As the recession was declared technically over, Mr Gilmore said “it is the highest number of people ever unemployed in the State” and he claimed 2,000 jobs had been lost each week since the current Government came into office.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that due to seasonal factors the number of people on the Live Register “rises every June without exception”, and the increase this year of 5,800 “is considerably less than the increase in June last year of more than 21,000”.
Unemployment levels rose to 13.4 per cent in June from 13.2 per cent the previous month. However it was incorrect to say there were 450,000 unemployed, Mr Cowen said.
“There are 287,000 who are drawing unemployment benefit for five days. There are 63,000 people who are working part-time and 23,000 people who are claiming credits.
“Of the people who are applying for unemployment benefit whose applications are currently being processed, 20,000 are on supplementary welfare allowance.”
Mr Gilmore said the “biggest crisis the country is facing at present is the level of unemployment” and it “impacts hugely on the public finances because every person out of work represents a cost of approximately €20,000 to the State through tax lost and social welfare payments”.
He asked “when will the Government take seriously the issues of unemployment and getting people back to work”.
Mr Cowen said the Government was dealing with the issue on a daily basis, and “the only way we can create more jobs is to make our economy more competitive”.
He said “jobs will not be created in a vacuum, and will not be created on the basis of letting our public finances go out of control”.
“They certainly will not be created by the contention that we should not try to repair the banking system, which is fundamental.”
All Government actions “are about making sure that growth comes back to the economy”.
