Saturday, November 21, 2009 Previous editions
Sinn Féin has attributed the drop in unemployment to emigration and seasonal work and said the reduction of 3,000 people on the Live Register is minimal compared to the 422,000 unemployed.
The party's Finance spokesperson Arthur Morgan called for a job creation strategy from the Government and said hat there should be no cuts to social welfare payments in the upcoming Budget.
“While the standardised Live Register figures dropped by 3,000 last month, there is no cause for the Government or the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to start patting themselves on the back," Mr Morgan said
"This drop in unemployment will mean nothing to the 422,000 people who remain on the dole."
Mr Morgan said there could be no doubt that the drop in unemployment could be attributed to emigration and to an upswing in the availability of seasonal work ahead of the Christmas shopping season.
“This Government, in its failure to bring forward a credible jobs creation plan, has left many of our young people with little choice other than to emigrate for employment," Mr Morgan said.
The Sinn Féin deputy also called for the reinstatement of the social welfare Christmas bonus.
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