As the unemployment crisis continues in Ireland the Government has reported that 8,000 more people joined the dole line in July. Official figures are at 452,500 people claiming unemployed benefits in July which is up 34,400 from last year at that time.

The unemployment rate is now officially at 13.7 percent of the workforce in Ireland. The Central Statistics Office reported that professionals made up a sixth of new applicants. "The Government is very concerned at the difficulties households are facing because of unemployment and the creation of new jobs is our top priority," said Eamon O Culv TD, minister for social protection. "The live Register has risen every July without exception over the last 20 years due to seasonal factors. This increase in the Live Register during the summer will be reversed in the autumn, " added O Culv.
The Live Register includes part-time workers, who work up to three days a week, and seasonal and casual workers entitled to Jobseekers Benefit or Allowance.
However the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association have claimed that the true level of unemployment was under reported. This is because of increased emigration, increased participation in state training initiatives and a significant rise in individuals remaining in education skewing the figures. "These facts mask the true picture in the jobs market, where well over half a million of our citizens are out of work," said Mark Fielding of the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association.