Unemployment is set to continue to rise in 2010 in the Republic of Ireland, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) latest quarterly economic commentary 2010.

The Institute predicts that employment in 2010 to be 72,000 lower than in 2009, on an annual average basis.

The report also shows that alongside this fall in employment, the number unemployed will average 286,000 in 2010.

In 2011 the Institute expects employment to stabilise, with unemployment falling marginally to 13%.