Sir, – Niall Ó Murchadha (Letters, November 28th) justifiably queried the latest unemployment figures by saying that the figure of 250,000-plus of our citizens who have emigrated during the past five years should be taken into account.
However a more balanced approach would be to include citizens returning to our shores which provides us with net emigration figures.
This method leaves us with an emigration figure of 124,000 citizens, or, approximately half the number who left. We should also separate unemployment figures from the more telling fact that there is actual growth in employment numbers. – Yours, etc, JOHN BELLEW, Riverside House, Dunleer, Co Louth