This article is from page 3 of the 2012-10-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE number of people signing on the live register in Clare has dropped to its lowest level in more than three years – but it is emigration and not job creation which is credited for the drop.
According to new information from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), a total of 9,674 people signed on the live register in the county in September. This is the lowest number on the live register since May of 2009, and represents a month-on-month drop of more that five per cent.
While some of this drop can be attributed to students returning to third-level education, emigration is considered to be the main driving force behind the record low.
According to Rita McInerney, CEO of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce, job creation has been flat in the county in recent months, with some sectors making gains while other sectors are being forced to let people go.
“It is slow at the moment and it is very different from one sector to the next. The retail sector is certainly having a difficult time of it but hopefully that will change coming up to Christmas,” she said.
“Export businesses in the county are doing well and that is good news, they employ a lot of people, but if we are to see some new job creation, we really need people to get back to spending again.
“Emigration is certainly a big factor in all of this. It is one of the unavoidable outcomes of a recession. It is about people looking at their options and deciding what is best for them and their family, whether that be going back to education or emigration.”
The numbers signing on in Clare last month were 300 down on the September 2011 figures and 500 down on the same month in 2010.