THE true scale of the jobs crisis in north Cork has been revealed with some areas in region experiencing an increase in unemployment of more than 300 percent over the past four years. The Corkman has obtained the Live Register figures for each February since 2007 – which have revealed a shocking rise in the number of people ' signing on' over the four-year period.

The figures take into account the number of people on the Live Register at the four social welfare offices in Mallow, Fermoy, Macroom and Newmarket.

Macroom experienced the largest percentage increase of the four regions, with the live register increasing by a staggering 325 percent between 2007 and 2010.

In February 2007 the number signing on stood at 429, a figure that had risen to 1,825 for the period in 2010.

In Newmarket the live register increased from 501 to 1996 over the same period – a rise of 298 percent.

The figure for Mallow currently stands at 2,691 compared to 771 in 2007, a jump of 249 percent.

In Fermoy the live register has increased from 931 to 2,753 an increase of 1,822 people or 195 percent.

The increases in each of the four areas is, in some cases, considerably higher than the average for the whole of Cork County over the same period, which currently stands at 190 percent. The figures have for the first time given a clear indication of the devastating unemployment crisis facing the entire north Cork region, giving an accurate picture of just how badly the ongoing recession has impacted households across the area.

Brid O'Brien, head of policy with the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU), said the figures reflect the " dramatic" nature of the unemployment crisis facing the entire country.

"The construction sector has been particularly badly affected by the ongoing crisis.

" As there are now fewer options open to people losing their jobs within this particular sector, the impact of job losses within the industry has been very obvious," she told The Corkman.

" This is very much apparent in more rural areas such as north Cork, where there is even less options than there may be in more urbanised areas. The challenge is to try to persuade people to retrain in order to widen their skills sets, a challenge that the government has so far failed to address," she added.

Ms O'Brien pointed out that at the height of the building boom as many as one in five people were employed in the construction sector in regions such as north Cork.

"The truth of the matter is that even at the height of the Celtic Tiger unemployment was a concern, however the construction boom meant that the problem was less visible than it is now," she said.

" In the past emigration was also an important safety valve but the global nature of the recession has meant that traditional areas of employment such as the US and the UK are no longer an option."

Ms O'Brien said that the government's preoccupation with stabilising the financial and banking sectors has blinded them to the increasingly unstable employment situation.

" Unfortunately, the government has been reactive and not proactive in dealing with the whole situation. What is needed now is a cohesive strategy to get people back to work, including increased training and re-education opportunities to give people the relevant skill sets," said Ms O'Brien.

"If we do not get this right and get people back to work, the long terms effect on society as a whole will be devastating," she added.

- BILL BROWNE bbrowne@corkman.ie