maybe Ireland aren't doing that bad after all

smallBiscuit

The UK suffered the largest job losses in Europe in the first three months of this year, a new report revealed today.

An EU body which monitors employment markets says the number of “announced” job losses in the 27 member states was just under 220,000 between the start of 2009 and March 31 – 63,330 of them in the UK.


http://feeds.breakingnews.ie/~r/bntopstories/~3/w8-DkfFNnAY/

After all the doom and gloom and "Ireland is in the worst position in the world", maybe we aren't?

Money Shot

I wouldn't get too carried away just yet. You do realise that there are approx 62 million people in the united kingdom and just over 4 million in the republic. Is 63k from 62 million really worse than 15k from 4 million ??:rolleyes:

spank_inferno

If the UK had it as bad as Ireland, they would have lost around 900,000 Jobs! in April alone

They do have it bad but comparing Ireland & the UK visavi unemployment isnt realistic.

Ireland has it far far worse.... thread title misleading

greendom

The UK is also panicking about the levels of debt it has. If Irelands' debt was equivalent to the UK's on a per head basis we'd be looking at approximatley 6 billion. Ireland's is I believe in fact something like 24 billion.

Comparing Ireland with the UK is not going to make anyone feel any better about things over here, unfortunately

Tech3

Its not a numbers game, more like percentages. We have more people unemployed per month per head of capita than the U.K. But the U.K are in a bad recession also but dont have the same problems as we do. We had the housing bubble also to cope with.

thebman

tech2 wrote: »

Its not a numbers game, more like percentages. We have more people unemployed per month per head of capita than the U.K. But the U.K are in a bad recession also but dont have the same problems as we do. We had the housing bubble also to cope with.

The UK had plenty of its own problems to contend with such as decline in industry as well up to this point.

Even in boom, their car industries were dying.

Tech3

thebman wrote: »

The UK had plenty of its own problems to contend with such as decline in industry as well up to this point.

Even in boom, their car industries were dying.

Even so for a small economy as Ireland the housing boom is a lot more severe. Also the U.K have a huge economy to bring GDP back under 3% where Ireland dont.

SkepticOne

Another advantage for the UK is that they have their own currency and can devalue their currency appropriately as their economy contracts.

We have to achieve the same thing by reducing wages and costs.

murphaph

SkepticOne wrote: »

We have to achieve the same thing by reducing wages and costs.

...but when this is even mentioned you get hysterical reactions from people who want you hanged for slavery! Ireland is too bloody expensive and we don't have the "knowledge economy" to fill the gap of FDI.

johnnyskeleton

murphaph wrote: »

...but when this is even mentioned you get hysterical reactions from people who want you hanged for slavery! Ireland is too bloody expensive and we don't have the "knowledge economy" to fill the gap of FDI.

You also have the curious inability to look at reality that the Irish suffer from, for example the Luftansa employees who would rather lose their jobs than take a pay cut (same with dell I believe).

murphaph

Yeah I was talking to friend who works for a multinational who've indicated to the staff that the operation will be closing during 2010.

I said: "have the staff offered to take a pay cut?". he said: "sure we couldn't work for less than what we're on".

Go figure.

SkepticOne

Similar to the "I can't sell it for less than it is worth" you get in the housing market.

johnnyskeleton

murphaph wrote: »

Yeah I was talking to friend who works for a multinational who've indicated to the staff that the operation will be closing during 2010.

I said: "have the staff offered to take a pay cut?". he said: "sure we couldn't work for less than what we're on".

Go figure.

I think this is a product of unionisation. I would consider myself to be fairly left of centre economically (bar my views on letting the insolvent banks go to the wall, which apparently is seen as right wing Ayn Rand stuff) but I really can't stand the unions. People in non union jobs that I know are more than happy to take a paycut if they get to keep their job, but unions don't think like that.

You can't claim jobseekers benefit if you leave your job voluntarily, and I would be in favour of a rule prohibiting people who loose their jobs because they wouldn't accept wage cuts from being refused this too.

francish

Yea - It is taking people a long time to understand how bad things are. The public sector protested over pension levies but then eventually swallowed it. They will have more pain to come in next 6 months, either job cuts or more pay cuts, will be interesting this time to see how they repond, will they have they grasped the seriousness of the situation?

murphaph

The strange thing is the guy I was speaking to is in private sector, non-unionised employment. It seems strange to me not to at least try to hold on to your job. It's obvious at this stage that unemployment benefit is going to get hammered too.

ionix5891

SkepticOne wrote: »

Another advantage for the UK is that they have their own currency and can devalue their currency appropriately as their economy contracts.

We have to achieve the same thing by reducing wages and costs.

ah the great devaluing currency fallacy

it might help them in short term but in long term its an effective tax on all the money in the system and it involves making everyone poorer

they don't realise how poor they get until they have to buy things not made in UK

currency devaluation like printing money (or whatever they call it nowadays) is bad bad bad

SkepticOne

ionix5891 wrote: »

ah the great devaluing currency fallacy

it might help them in short term but in long term its an effective tax on all the money in the system and it involves making everyone poorer

they don't realise how poor they get until they have to buy things not made in UK

Up to a point what you are saying is true, however in countries like Ireland where things have got uncompetitive it would be handy if our currency was allowed to fall. Yes, imported goods would be more expensive, but more people would have jobs with which to pay for those goods. Cheap imported goods are great if you can afford them. In order to afford them you must have a competitive exporting industry.

eamonnm79

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

You also have the curious inability to look at reality that the Irish suffer from, for example the Luftansa employees who would rather lose their jobs than take a pay cut (same with dell I believe).

(same with dell I believe)

That is 100% wrong.

deadhead13

I think we are in fact doing particularly badly, OP ,because of the collapse of our construction sector. The property bubble effectively drove our economy for almost a decade and construction amounted to 20% of our GNP. Hence our unique difficulty in coping with the current crises.

1huge1

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

You also have the curious inability to look at reality that the Irish suffer from, for example the Luftansa employees who would rather lose their jobs than take a pay cut (same with dell I believe).

You believe wrong, the people of Limerick i've talked to that work in Dell would of gladly took a pay cut. But Dell never told them anything, a company that I used to have so much respect for and all.
The way they treated their employees in the end...