Athlone jobless figures pass 4,000 in July

Profile by Deirdre Verney Updated: Wednesday, 12th August, 2009 12:55pm

The number of people out of work in Athlone has breached the 4,000 mark, the latest grim unemployment statistics show, after an extra 211 people joined the dole queues last month.

The latest Live Register figures show no respite or slowdown in July with the latest figures revealing 4,074 people on the live register, an 80% rise on the corresponding period just twelve months ago.

In real terms, almost seven jobs a day were shed in Athlone every day in July.

The rise in the numbers unemployed in Athlone in July actually accounts for over 41% of the monthly increases in Westmeath.

Countywide, there isn't any better news as the numbers as dole queues of Westmeath surpassed the 10,000 mark in July hitting 10,404, an extra 507 jobless across the county last month alone. The numbers claiming the dole in Mullingar now accounts for 5,023, with another 1,307 out of work in Castlepollard.

The July figures also show that the number of people on the Live Register across the country rose again, while the unemployment rate rose to 12.2%.

crease so far this year. The monthly increase was split almost equally between men and women.

Nationwide the unadjusted figure rose by 17,143 from June to 435,735, giving an annual increase of just under 83%. The 12.2% unemployment rate is the highest unemployment rate since April 1995. The record rate hit 17.3% back in December 1985.