Cowen pressed on further jump in unemployment figures

Posted on July 01, 2009 at 02:54 PM

"I was interested to hear the Taoiseach say that unemployment was rising but rising more slowly. That is the equivalent of saying we are sinking but sinking more slowly. We are sinking nevertheless.

"A total of 413,000 people out of work is a record, and the number has risen by about 200,000 since this time last year," the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said this morning during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil.

On a day when the CSO announced the jobless rate hitting 11.9 per cent, Deputy Gilmore highlighted growing unemployment and the fact it costs €20,000 per job through lost taxes and social welfare payments. Eamon said any measures taken in the April and October budgets, including the income and pension levies and cuts in spending programmes have been wiped out by the increase in unemployment.

Eamon's full contribution is available on the accompanying You Tube video while you can read the full exchange on the Oireachtas website.

Tagged with Finance • Social & Family Affairs