8% reduction in Clondalkin jobless figures show Govt’s plan is working – Fitzgerald

Fine Gael Deputy for Dublin Mid West and Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald, has today (Wednesday) welcomed an 8% annual reduction in the Live Register figures for Clondalkin as a ‘clear and encouraging sign that the Irish economy is moving in the right direction’.

Figures published by the CSO today show that the Live Register total for the Clondalkin local area, which encompasses the bulk of Dublin Mid West, fell from 9,033 in October 2012 to 8,345 in October 2013.

“This figure is still too high, but I welcome the fact that the Irish economy is now going in the right direction. This significant decrease in Live Register numbers in the Clondalkin area should be taken as a positive indicator that the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs is working and that an environment in which jobs can be created is being developed.

“These statistics, coupled with recent announcements of major investments by Digital Realty and Microsoft in massive data centre developments in the Clondalkin area, all point to a brightening economic picture as Ireland prepares to exit the troika bailout later this month.

“Nationally, the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 2009, following five successive quarters where unemployment has declined on an annual basis. The Taoiseach has rightly hailed this as a sign that business confidence is growing and these figures for Clondalkin are further evidence of that fact.”