SIPTU has said that the highest priority must be placed on tackling the problem of long-term unemployment as new figures published by the Central Statistics Office on Thursday (1st November), show the number of people signing on for more than 12 months has risen by 8,344 or 4.6% this year.

SIPTU economist, Marie Sherlock, said; “The growing problem of long-term unemployment is the biggest issue which emerges from the latest Live Register figures.

“It is now more important than ever that all stakeholders in Irish society prioritise investment plans which seek to maximise job creation.”

The number of women signing on for more than 12 months has increased by 11.5% (5,687) in the ten months to the end of October, while the number of men has risen by 2% (2,657) in the same period.

The total number of long-term claimants on the Live Register stands at 188,117.