Clare’s dole queues have reached a six-month low according to new figures from the CSO.
The latest live register figures show that just under 10,000 people are signing on throughout the county, a drop of 170 in the past month, and 420 in the last year.
9,996 people were signing on in the county at the end of April, down by 171 in the last month, and down by 423 in the past year.
Falls have been recorded throughout the county in April, the biggest of which came in Ennis.
A drop of 65 was recorded in April, though 5,637 remain on the dole queues in the county town.
President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Brian O’Neill admits that emigration is a likely factor in this, but feels job creation is at the heart of the fall.
Drops were also recorded at the other offices throughout the county.
Tulla saw a drop of 55 in the numbers claiming unemployment benefits to just over 1,400, while in North Clare the dole queues dropped by 45 to 1554.
Kilrush saw the smallest drop though, with just 6 people leaving the dole queue there.
However, town Councillor Marian McMahon Jones is optimistic that better news will come in the months ahead.
Amid this optimism, local businesses are also calling for a swift decision on the future of Shannon Airport.
The Transport Minister is due to present his recommendation on Shannon’s future to cabinet in the coming weeks, but has already missed his initial Easter target of announcing his decision.
Brian O’Neill says it’s important that this does not slip further.
