Ireland's unemployment rate has dropped below 10 per cent for the first time since the economic crash.
Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicate that the rate now stands at 9.9 per cent, the lowest it's been since January 2009.
The employment figures reveal that nearly 2 million people are currently working in Ireland, rising steadily by 41,300 year-on-year.
In an interview with George Hook, the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the figures confirm that the government's jobs strategy is working.
“I think it also gives us confidence that as we set ourselves a target of getting everyone back to work, in terms of full employment on a sustainable basis, that we have the capacity to do this.”
Speaking about the increase in employment, Minister Bruton said it's “contributing into the exchequer so we can do things new things in public services and relief on the tax front. This is a virtuous circle that we need to build upon.”
The Central Statistics Office's report discloses that in the first three months of 2015, full-time employment has increased by 3.6 per cent, part-time employment rates dropped to 2.4 per cent, while long-term unemployment figures fell from 7.3 per cent to 5.9 per cent.