The unemployment rate in Ireland has dropped to a six-year low of 9.5 per cent, according the latest Quarterly National Household Survey. This means that the total number of persons unemployed is now 211,200. The long-term unemployment rate decreased from 6.8pc to 5.5pc in the same period. Total employment now stands at 1,958,700.
Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton praised the improvement but also noted that Ireland still has a long way to go. “We have an increase of 3 per cent in the number of people in employment in the year until the end of June 2015,” Ms Burton said.
“That shows the recovery in Ireland has taken hold and in the context of the turmoil that is being experiences internationally it means that Ireland is very well set to progress but also to able to deal with any if the issues that rearising in the world economy.
“We still have a way to go and we have a lot of work to do to help those people who remain unemployed, particularly those people longer term unemployed.”