Jobless figures hit record high in Offaly in August

Live register numbers in Offaly have hit a record high of over almost 9,300, latest figures have revealed. The shock statistics mean that jobless numbers have soared by over 13% from the end of 2009 in Offaly. According to the Central Statistics Office, some 9,284 people signed on in the county's three social welfare offices during August, up very slightly from the 9,275 the previous month. However, the July and August figures both represent substantial increases from earlier in the year as the unemployment problem continues to worsen across the county with more people signing on at the county's three offices. Across the individual social welfare offices, the same trend emerges, with record numbers signing on in Edenderry (2,534) and Tullamore (4,247), although during August there was a slight reduction in the numbers signing on in Birr compared to the previous month. Across the county, 22% of those on the Live Register were under 25, while over one in three were women (34%). Nationally, the seasonally adjusted Live Register total increased from 452,500 in July to 455,000 in August, an increase of 2,500.