Clare’ dole queues have fallen for the first time in six months.
Today’s regional breakdown of the CSO figures for March reveal there are currently 10, 167 people on Clare’s Live Register.
This is down 341 on February and represents the first decline in the numbers seeking some form of social welfare assistance in the county since last September.
All of Clare’s social welfare offices experienced a falloff in numbers, the largest being at Ennis, where 167 fewer people signed on last month .
There was a drop of 89 in Ennistymon Office while the numbers queuing in Tulla and Kilrush fell by 54 and 31 respectively.
Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen has given the figures a cautious welcome and while he accepts the government still has a long road ahead in boosting employment numbers, Deputy Breen believes the recent visits to China and the US will start to pay dividends in the coming years