Vol. 534 No. 3
57 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the finding of the quarterly national household survey which continues to show higher levels of unemployment in the Border, midlands and south-east regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10484/01]
The most recent quarterly national household survey figures were released by the Central Statistics Office on 21 February 2001. According to these figures there was a fall of 19,900 or 20% (from 88,700 to 68,800) in the unemployment rate in the year to November 2000. This represents a national unemployment rate of 3.9% and a drop of 90,200 (57%) since June 1997.
The largest decreases were recorded in the Border and Dublin areas with decreases of 5,100 cases each. On a percentage basis the largest decreases were in the Border and south-east areas with 34% and 28% respectively. The unemployment rate in the three areas is higher than the national rate of 3.9%. It stands at 4.7% in the midlands, 4.9% in the south-east and 5.4% in the Border area. However, there have been significant percentage decreases in these areas in recent years.
Fluctuations in QNHS figures in rural areas cannot be compared to the larger urban areas, where the buoyant economy and greater job opportunities impact more quickly on unemployment levels. In addition, certain counties in the midlands have been hit by some large scale redundancies in the past 12 months which would have a negative influence on unemployment levels in this area.
