IBEC West, the group that represents business in the region, said new figures that show 41,103 people on the Live Register in the west region highlighted the need for all political parties to put jobs at the top of their agenda. The group said that the new government must provide the conditions for businesses to create jobs and must base all decisions on the likely impact on jobs.
The CSO Live Register figures published this week showed 41,103 people on the west region Live Register - a monthly increase of 751. Of that 7,486 of the total are under the age of 25, and 33,617 are over 25.
Commenting on the figures, IBEC regional director John Brennan, said: “The west has been devastated by job losses in the last few years. We owe it to the 41,103 people on the Live Register to put all our energies into getting the region back to work.
“We would like to see the new government appoint a senior minister with the key responsibility for addressing the jobs crisis.
