Ireland’s auto jobs website RecruitAuto.ie, has welcomed the new unemployment figures published today which show that unemployment is continuing to fall.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the unemployment rate for December 2015 was 8.8 per cent. This is down significantly from the same period last year, when the jobless rate stood at 10.2 per cent.
More than 29,000 people are back at work compared to December last year. However, this and the next Government still has much work to do to reach their goal of full employment. Already, they have put back the expected targeted achievement of that by 18 to 24 months.
January 1st saw the introduction of the newly increased National Minimum Wage of €9.15 per hour, which will mean a welcome boost to the take home pay of the 124,000 lowest paid workers in this country.
We cannot afford to become complacent in relation to job creation. With all the election promises floating around, the danger of becoming uncompetitive is great. However, cuts to USC and increases in the old age pension and child benefit allowance should mean that workers and families right around the country are beginning to share the hard won gains of our economic recovery.