THE Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed has strongly rejected suggestions that unemployed people are better off on the dole than they would be in work. INOU national chairperson Mr Paul Billings said yesterday that suggestions that this was why many unemployed people will not take up job offers are mythical.

"The reality is that the vast majority of people are better off in work than on the dole. The introduction of back-to-work measures like the family income supplement has ensured that the transition from welfare to work is eased," he said.

The INOU was responding to a report by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises' Association this week, which claimed that more than 60 per cent of small firms are finding it difficult to recruit staff to fill job vacancies.

According to ISME, 37 per cent of the firms it surveyed blamed a growing lack of interest in working for their recruitment difficulties. They also highlighted skills shortages.