Unemployment Spread Unevenly Across Ireland

We are all aware of Ireland’s dramatically increasing unemployment rate, which has reached in excess of 14% recently and held constant.  While the problems caused by this increase are being felt in every corner around Ireland, it is interesting to ask the question how equally this unemployment is distributed across Ireland.  Figure 1 shows that the answer to this question is that different regions of Ireland have been impacted to a greater and lesser extent.  However, when comparing Figure 1 to Figure 2, it is equally clear that all regions have been adversely affected since 2007. 

When comparing regions in 2011 it can be noted that unemployment in the South-East region is the highest in the country.  The South-East consisting of Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow and Waterford.  These counties have been hit extremely hard by the recession.  Taking Waterford as an example, the loss of the Waterford Crystal plant has had a substantial impact on the county. 

It is clear from the figures that when considering how to tackle unemployment a one size fits all policy will not be sufficient.  In terms of the unemployment rate the South-East may need more attention than other regions (such as the mid-East region) where unemployment is lower.