Dole queues continue to rise in Co Tipperary, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Unemployment figures supplied for January appear to be small when compared to the increases recorded in the month of December of last year.
However these new figures fail to take into consideration job seekers who have changed their place of signing on; e.g. Moving home due to the non affordability of rented accommodation, or those who have decided to try their luck by emigrating abroad during the same month in question.
The latest CSO figures for January show over 8o extra people have joined the dole queues of Co Tipperary last month, with the towns of Nenagh (Latter which includes the surrounding areas of Toomevara, Cloughjordan, Borrisokane, Ballina, Silvermines, Rearcross and Templederry) and Thurles (Latter which includes surrounding areas of Holycross, Ballynonty, Ballingarry, Urlingford, Templemore and Borrisoleigh) the worst affected in North Tipperary. Some slight increases in unemployment are also recorded for the South of the county.
Overall there are now some 15,650 people claiming some form of unemployment related benefits in the county as a whole, many failing to seek opportunities in larger urban areas, where 90% of jobs are being created, due to the high priced costs linked to commuting for interviews.
Nationally Dole figures for unemployed males dropped by 2,300 in January, but the number of women signing on actually rose by 1,122, reducing the total number of those signing on to 400,700, down to 12.3%, from 12.4% in December.
The unemployment figures don’t include people on J̶o̶b̶b̶r̶i̶d̶g̶e̶ Scambridge or VEC/Fás courses. The unemployment rate has not come down.
It also doesn’t include those who cannot get the dole because their spouse is earning a wage. Those people also don’t qualify for Job bridge or FAS, they’re totally forgotten about!