Irish Unemployment Rate Rose to Highest in Six Months in July

Ireland’s unemployment rate rose to the highest in six months in July as government austerity measures weighed on spending and business activity in the services industry slowed.

Unemployment climbed to 14.3 percent from 14.2 percent in the previous month, the Central Statistics Office in Cork said on its website today. The number of claimants on the unemployment register increased 1,500 to 447,900 from June on a seasonally adjusted basis.