It’s feared that a high number of people in Clare are forced to travel for work, rather than working and spending locally.
It comes as figures released by the CSO show that the number of people on the live register here is at its lowest level since 2007.
According to the CSO, there’s now just over 4,300 people now claiming some form of unemployment in Clare.
That’s the lowest figure recorded here in twelve years, and down from almost 11,000 just eight years ago.
However, despite the overall improvements, President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Gwen Culligan now fears Clare’s economy isn’t feeling the benefits.
She wants more to be done to create jobs in the town, saying more people are travelling out of the county for work, and spending their money elsewhere.
Nationally, almost 190,000 people are claiming some form of unemployment benefit as of the end of May; marking a significant drop of 33,600 in a year.
The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has welcomed the decreasing trend.
However, its Head of Policy and Media Bríd O’Brien says it’s vital that the taxes being paid by those in employment is reinvested wisely.
