Emigration masking real unemployment figures

Local representative Seán Crowe TD  has said that emigration is masking the real uneployment figures and that the Government needs to use the European Union Presidency to address unemployment across Europe.

Deputy Seán Crowe said;

“The needs to use the opportunity of the EU Presidency to encourage stimulas  measures to tackle unemployment right across Europe

“The Government latest spin on the Central Statistics Office’s live register’s figures as showing a decrease in unemployment is fooling no one especially those stuck on the dole or so called training schemes that are progessing nowhere. The reality  is  that unemployment especially youth unemployment, is rising and has hardly budged since this government came to power at the last election.on the promise of creating 100,000 plus jobs.

“Emigration is  having a  huge detrimental effect on  society and the 15-24 age group is shrinking significantly.

“In 2006 there were 638,000 people of this age group in the country. In January 2012 the number had fallen by 130,000, and almost all accounted for by emigration.

“In the years leading up to crash, there were about 325,000 employed under-25s in the State. That has reduced to 130,000.and  for every 10 jobs that existed at the beginning of 2008, six have now disappeared.

“Emigration is even taking its toll on the Irish birth rate.

“There were 1,200 fewer born in 2011 than the previous year mostly due to the high emigration rate amongst young mothers.

“Last month the IMF in its quarterly review stated, ‘had all employees who lost their jobs since the outset of the crisis remained in the labor force, the unemployment rate would stand at around 20 percent.

“That is the reality of unemployment  facing more and more families today.

“We need an honest debate around how to tackle  unemployment and the government needs to use its Presidency of the European Union  to encourage new measures that will stimulate the Europen economy The Government also needs  to inject a dose of reality into the debate and bring to a halt to all the  nonsense  talk that  austerity measures are somehow working for communities and workers all across europe.”