The number of people signing on in Galway in December increased by 1.8 per cent, meaning the Live Register for Galway now stands at 23,099, up 408 from November.
These figures were published recently by the Central Statistics Office. According to Labour’s Galway West candidate councillor Derek Nolan, it shows the local economy is “still in decline”, despite the fact that the export sector is performing well.
“Walk down the street in Galway and see the ever increasing number of empty shop units. This is visible face of a domestic economy that is in shatters,” said Cllr Nolan. “Unemployment is ravaging people’s lives and killing jobs in the retail and services sector.”
Cllr Nolan said the Government has been “content to do nothing” since the return of high unemployment.
“We need action at national level to get Galway’s local economy working again,” he said. “That involves putting people back to work building vital infrastructure, insulating homes, working in the community, rather than spending millions on dole payments for people who want to work.”
