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15,264 on the dole in Donegal
16.01.09
ALARM has been raised
at the soaring rate of unemployment across Inishowen
and the wider county. Latest Live Register figures
for County Donegal worryingly shows that a total of
15,264 people signed on in the county in December.
This was 6,157 more than in December 2007.
The biggest rise was in the Buncrana area where more
than 3,403 people are now signing on. This is up
1,642 on December 2007.
Meanwhile, there were 4,036 signing on in
Letterkenny - up 1,572; 1,836 in Ballybofey - up 966
and 1,260 in Dunfanaghy - up 408. Buncrana
councillor and Sinn Féin EU candidate Cllr Padraig
MacLochlainn said the eleven counties in the North
and West EU constituency including Donegal, between
them, lost 32,156 jobs up to December 2008.
“CSO figures released this week show that
unemployment across the eleven counties that make up
the EU North West constituency has increased by
32,156 in the year to December 2008," he said.
"During the boom years many of counties in the West,
Midlands and Border area continued to have levels of
unemployment far in excess of the State average.
"The booming construction sector camouflaged an
ongoing loss of other jobs over those years, in
particular, in the manufacturing sector. These
counties can ill afford to lose more jobs."
He called for a "concerted effort" to make the North
West region competitive through indentifying
potential growth sectors and possible investors;
examining the agri-food sector and supporting
entrepreneurs.
“The Government has indicated that they are seeking
funds from the EU’s Global Adjustment Fund to help
retrain workers who are to lose their jobs at the
Dell plant in Limerick. This is to be welcomed.
"However, the question has to be asked as to why the
Government did not seek such funds or provide funds
itself to retrain other workers who have lost jobs
due to globalisation over the last two years?”
The following is the hikes in unemployment in the
North and West EU Constituency in the year to
December 2008:
Donegal - 6157
Cavan - 2445
Clare - 2,807
Galway - 6,724
Leitrim - 1059
Longford - 1,462
Mayo - 3,703
Monaghan - 2041
Roscommon - 1,182
Sligo - 1,394
Westmeath - 3,182 |
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