The National Employment Survey for the quarter up to September 2015 has just been released and this survey is now being taken as one of the most reliable barometers of economic activity throughout the country. The headlines from this survey show good news for the country as a whole with an increase of 2.9% in employment in the year up to September 2015. The growth in employment, over the past year, was highest in Dublin and the Midlands.
The “West” which, for the purposes of this survey, is made up of Galway City & County, Roscommon and Mayo was the only one of the eight regions in the country to show no sign of recovery. The failure of the “West” to show any increase in Employment figures points to the lack of urgency on the part of our government and our agencies to focus their efforts on job creation West of the Shannon. It is time that the focus was put on the Western region in the interests of a balanced employment creation initiative.