Trends in the share of long-term unemployment in Ireland

Abstract

Unemployment in Ireland has long been characterised by two features: a relatively high rate of unemployment, and a relatively high proportion of the unemployed who are long-term unemployed (defined as unemployed for one year or more). The share of long-term unemployment in total male unemployment in Ireland, 1966-1990, is plotted in Figure 1. This shows several periods of rapid growth of which the increase during the 1980s was the greatest. Similarly, over the same period, the male unemployment rate, as a share of the labour force, has shown a considerable increase, most marked between 1979 and 1986.