The number of people out of work fell again last month, according to live register figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). But when adjusted to take account of seasonal factors, there was an underlying increase of 1,300.
A CSO spokesman said this was due to the lateness of the school Easter holidays this year, during which temporary workers from the schools signed on later than usual. April data show a drop in the number of males signing on, but a rise in that of females.
The effect may be reversed when May data are released next month. There were 161,796 people on the live register in April, a drop of 34,752 or 17.7 per cent from the same figure for last year and a decrease of 30.1 per cent on the April 1998 figure. The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, said it was "very encouraging" to see unemployment continuing to fall despite the dramatic reduction of more than 93,000 on the live register since the Government took office in June 1997.
The April figure is the lowest recorded since September 1982. But Mr Ahern said the Government's "excellent" recent record on unemployment should not lead to indifference to the difficulties faced by people who lack the education and/or skills to compete in the job market. "We must ensure that unemployed people receive the skills they need for success in job-seeking and we must also prevent early school-leavers from drifting into the statistics," he said.
A pilot project for early school-leavers, which will focus on providing positive alternatives and support to first-time applicants for unemployment assistance, is to be put in place. Drogheda, Co Louth, and Longford will be the pilot sites for the scheme, which aims to equip young people with the skills, education and confidence necessary to help them benefit from the buoyant economy. A recent ESRI report showed two-thirds of job vacancies require people with Leaving Certificate or third-level qualifications, and that only one third of people who are unemployed have such qualifications. The Labour Party spokesman on social and community affairs, Mr Tommy Broughan, said the Government should look critically at the employment market. He pointed to a report from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which showed a sharp increase in notified redundancies.
The live register is not an exact measurement of the numbers unemployed, as it includes casual and part-time workers.
The April figure recorded 112,000 people receiving a payment for a full week, 23,900 who had casual or part-time work and 25,900 who were not receiving a payment but who were signing for credited contributions, awaiting decisions on claims, or who were disallowed or suspended.
