The line graph gives data on the unemployment rate and the number of emigrants in Ireland from 1988 to 2008.
Overall, the share of unemployed people declined considerably despite witnessing dramatic variations, while the number of the Irish moving abroad increased slightly, albeit varying significantly over the period.
Regarding the unemployment rate, the proportion of people without a job made up around 17% in 1988, dipping to 13% in 1990 and then peaking at 16% in 1990. This was followed by a more than three-fold decline to 5% in 2000 when the figure entered a period of relative stability, doubling from this level in 2007 to nearly 10% in 2008.
As for the number of people leaving Ireland, it soared from 40,000 in 1988 to its maximum of 70,000 in 1989, then plummeting to approximately 35,000 and hovering at this level until 2005. Afterwards, however, it reached a hefty 42,000 in 2008, thus exceeding the initial figure by 2,000 people.