Employment Figures In The West Still Falling

The latest figures on employment and unemployment released this week and which show the numbers of people employed in the Western Region falling and the unemployment rate rising underlines once again what I have been saying all through this campaign about our so called economic recovery which is not being felt by many people in this region.
The figures show a rise in the unemployment rate in the Western Region from 10.3% to 10.6% while the numbers actually in employment have  fallen too. The overall figures for the country might be positive but this region has been forgotten about by this Government and the imbalance in our recovery has got to be addressed. Young people are leaving this region in droves because there is no employment opportunities for them and while Dublin and the bigger urban centres are thriving rural Ireland continues to struggle. Photo calls and press conferences with big announcements that we have seen in recent months mean nothing if there is no action is taken to follow them up. Instead of waffle and bluster on behalf of the Government we need some real action on jobs and infrastructure in this region. Under any new administration, if I am elected this will be my number one priority.