Positive jobs news, highlights effectiveness of Labour policies in government

Today’s announcement by the CSO that there are now over 2,000,000 people at work in Ireland, is as clear an indication as we have seen to date, that the policies pursued by the last government have successfully delivered a real economic recovery for the people of Ireland.

We also see a return to net inward migration for the first time since 2009, with the number of Irish people retuning home increasing from of 12,100 to 21,100 in the year to April. This is something that would have been unthinkable a few short years ago.

The job creation policies Labour promoted in government are working. Every region in the State is adding jobs and unemployment is falling in every region. Every new job is a life back on track and a family providing for itself again.

When Labour came into office in 2011, we were haemorrhaging jobs at a rate of 1,000 per week. This year, some 1,100 new jobs are being created every week, and as a result, there are now over 2,000,000 at work here.

However, there is no room for complacency. Our ambition is to reach full employment by 2018 and it should never be a case of a job at any cost.

Labour is the party of work and of working people. It is critical that the dignity of all workers is promoted and vindicated through the opportunity to engage in decent work in supportive and dynamic workplaces.

Labour will continue to campaign for better wages, fairer workplaces and decent quality jobs. This Government must ensure that the economic recovery is sustained and that it reaches every household in the country through the opportunities for decent work.