Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will comment on the latest Quarterly National Household Survey which indicates an 8.2% year-on-year fall in employment to the end of June 2009 and that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is now at its highest level since 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37690/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Quarterly National Household Survey contains data for the period up to end June 2009. That survey shows an annual decrease in employment of 8.2%. The largest annual falls in employment have been in construction (down 86,000), wholesale and retail trade (down 29,600) and industry (down 29,000) sectors.

While the fall in employment is a cause for concern, it is nevertheless not unexpected - my Department forecast last April that employment would fall by 7.8% for the year as a whole. The latest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 12.6% in September, however the unemployment trend has slowed considerably in recent months. This government is not complacent about the very significant increase in job losses. One of the key policies that we can pursue is to strive to enhance our competitiveness so that demand for labour improves so that we can position ourselves to benefit when world and EU growth returns. It is also important that we bring stability and sustainability to the public finances, as that will facilitate confidence and growth in the economy. We are also investing in education, training, and up-skilling in order to ensure that workers have the means to move into expanding sectors. We have also doubled our support for job-search, training and activation places for the unemployed this year.