10.6% jobs growth in Mid-East region which includes Kildare
Jobs figures published by the CSO show a record level of employment nationally as 2.5m people are now at work according to Fine Gael Kildare South TD and Minister of State Martin Heydon. He was speaking after the publication of the Quarter 1 2022 Labour Force Survey published by the Central Statistics Office (Thursday the 26th of May 2022).
Minister Martin Heydon said, “Fine Gael has always prioritised job creation, and it is great to see that employment now stands at 2,505,800 million. We now have more people employed in the country than at any other point in the history of the state which is remarkable. In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the Government put a real focus on job creation to help get the economy back on its feet, just as Fine Gael did in the wake of the economic crash a decade ago.
“An additional 275,200 jobs were created in the year to Q1 2022 of which 68% are outside of Dublin. Fine Gael is working to build stronger safer communities and job creation across the country is crucial to that. The spread of these jobs around the Country supports the regeneration of our towns and villages and revitalises our local communities.
“It is particularly good to see that all regions have registered job growth. The Mid East Region which is made up of Kildare Meath and Wicklow saw an increase of 34,800 jobs in the year to March 2022, an increase of 10.6%.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said “Throughout the pandemic, we did our best to help businesses survive and hold onto their staff, so that when things opened, they could reopen and thrive. We set a goal to have 2.5m people at work by 2024 and thanks to the incredible fortitude of Irish businesses, their staff, families, and communities, we have now exceeded that goal, with 2,505,800 people at work today.
“There has been jobs growth across all regions while female labour market participation is at a record high and the youth unemployment rate is at a record low.
“Our aim is to create good quality, secure jobs and to make sure work pays. I’m working on five new workers’ rights this year, including introducing mandatory sick pay, in addition to moving to a living wage starting next year, and auto enrolment so everyone who’s working has an occupational pension in addition to the state pension, starting in 2023.
“I know these numbers do not reflect the lived reality of some, and that many are still struggling and worried about the future. We continue to work hard to provide opportunities for good, sustainable jobs in every part of the country for anyone that wants one.