John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the rapid increase in unemployment in County Waterford in the past year has been drawn to his attention and the fact that the live register numbers in Waterford have increased by almost 34% between March 2007 and March 2008 and by 13.5% between February and March 2008 alone; the actions he plans to take to remedy this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14633/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The increase in the live register figures in the year to March 2008 in County Waterford is consistent with the level of increase in the live register in the South-East region as a whole.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs maintains the Live Register. The total number of people recorded on the live register for March, 2008 is 197,992. The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment. It includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment benefits.

Unemployment is measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey, collated and published by the Central Statistics Office. The most recent Quarterly National Household Survey, Quarter 4, 2008 indicates that employment increased nationally by 66,800 or 3.2% in the year. Employment increased in the South-East region by 7,900 or 3.6% in the year.

The increase in the live register figures, while unwelcome, must be seen in the context of the major increase in employment over the last number of years, with the anticipated period of adjustment now being experienced. The predictions for the medium term are for continued employment growth, albeit at a slower pace than that experienced to date.

The most recent FÁS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey for February 2008 shows that the percentage of firms reporting vacancies across all sectors is 10%, indicating that there are employment opportunities.

FÁS provides an integrated support service for anyone made redundant. This involves information sessions, skills analysis, training/retraining courses and job placement. In the delivery of these services, FÁS liaises with other relevant agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, the City/County Enterprise Boards and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. IDA Ireland is actively engaged with its existing client base in County Waterford to encourage their transition to higher value activities and to promote further investment in Ireland. The Agency is concentrating its efforts on the gateway city of Waterford and the hub town of Dungarvan and is involved in the development of world class property solutions in both locations to meet the needs of new and existing clients.

Also, IDA Ireland works closely with third level educational institutes in the region so that the skill sets necessary to attract high-value employment to the county are being developed.