Record low unemployment a testament to Fine Gael’s support for business – Richmond

With record low levels of unemployment, strong economic forecasts for 2023 and huge tax intakes, it is clear Fine Gael’s handling of the economy has set the country up to best meet the very real challenges facing us, Minister Neale Richmond has said.

Minister Richmond said this weekend: “Unemployment in Ireland in April 2023 stood at 3.9%, the lowest level since April of 2001 and the lowest it has been since records began.

“Not only do we have a record amount of people at work, but we also have extremely strong participation from women, with the unemployment rate for women dropping to 3.6% last month.

“Currently in Ireland we have record low unemployment, 2.57 million people at work – the most in the history of the State, tax receipts of €24.1bn over the past 12 months and forecasts for our economy to grow by 4.9% this year, the highest of any EU country.

“Make no mistake: this kind of success does not happen by accident,” he said.

Minister Richmond is responsible for Employment Affairs and Retail Business.

“Fine Gael is Ireland’s pro-enterprise and pro-business party and our record in supporting Irish businesses speaks for itself.

“Without a strong and growing economy, we cannot fund the very real social and capital investments that all our communities need.

“We have an opposition who want to tax businesses out of existence, increase income taxes on our highly skilled workers, increase employers’ PRSI, an opposition who campaign against new trade deals that bring huge opportunity to Irish businesses, turn their back on our EU partners and who fundamentally do not believe that a business making a profit is a good thing.

“We hear dozens of voices saying how the State’s funds should be spent but very few with any notion of how those funds are actually raised and secured into the future.

“Fine Gael will never be found wanting in our support for enterprise.

“We face many challenges in Ireland but with a strong economy, millions of people at work and many more new homes being built, we face these challenges in a very strong position that was far from guaranteed 12 years ago,” Minister Richmond concluded.

ENDS