Mystery drop in Trim's jobless figures

Emigration is being blamed for a stark drop in the numbers claiming welfare benefits in one County Meath town. Of the 110 people who left the county's dole queues last month, 106 of them were in Trim, the latest figures from the Central Statistic Office (CSO) have revealed. This huge drop in numbers signing on at the social welfare office in Trim is not reflected in other parts of the county. While the numbers on the live register dropped by just one in Navan and by three in Kells, Trim experienced a massive drop with 106 less people claiming benefits there in February compared with January. Local councillor Gerry Reilly said emigration would have to be the main explanation for the figures. He said he was in Perth, Australia, at Christmas and there were a huge number of people from the Trim area there. When contacted by the Meath Chronicle, the Department of Social Protection was unable to give an explanation for the very significant drop in numbers in Trim. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted live register figures showed a decrease of 0.4 per cent between January and February 2012. However, in Trim the drop in the numbers 'signing on' was much greater at 2.8 per cent. There are now 3,680 people claiming benefits in Trim, down from 3,786 in January.