700 fewer signing on

There are 688 fewer people on the Live Register in Sligo now compared to this time last year.

This comes as the number of people signing on the Live Register last month fell to the lowest level since September 2008.

Deputy Tony McLoughlin said: “The number of people on the Live Register in Sligo has fallen by 688 or 16% since this time last year. Since Fine Gael launched the Action Plan for Jobs in February 2012, the number signing on has decreased locally by 29% or 1522 people.

“Statistics can seem meaningless but this has a real impact on communities all around the country. Only a strong economy supporting people at work can provide the services needed to improve people’s lives in this constituency.”

In addition, the CSO said the number of persons signing on the Live Register in August is down 51,762 or 16.4% on the same time last year.

In August the unemployment rate fell to 6.3%. Employment has grown strongly since the jobless rate peaked at 15.2% in 2012.

The Live Register includes part-time workers, as well as seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance.