The number of people on the Live Register fell to its lowest since April 2008 last month, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
According to the latest data, there were 3,000 fewer people were on the register, which includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to jobseekers’ benefit or allowance. This decrease took the total number of people on the register to 199,669, down 15.5 per cent versus the same month a year earlier and is 27.6 per cent lower than in December 2016.
Separate CSO figures published earlier this week put the State’s jobless rate at 5.3 per cent for December, unchanged versus the prior month.
The Live Register data show the number of male claimants decreased by 22,915 or 16.9 per cent over the year to 112,414. The number of female claimants was down 13,684 or 13.6 per cent to 87,255.
Declined
The number of long-term claimants on the register last month was 79,542, down 18.8 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier. In addition, the number of casual and part-time workers declined by 18.4 per cent.
According to the figures there was a 19.3 per cent decline in the number of people aged under 25 on the register.
Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty welcomed the latest data.
“While the Government has been successful in helping many people who lost their jobs or their businesses during the economic recession to get back working again, this New Year brings new challenges, including Brexit,” she said.
“We will work to provide the best possible environment for economic growth along with job retention and job creation in 2019, as well as introducing a renewed focus on the best possible approaches to enable those remaining numbers of long-term unemployed to find suitable work,” Ms Doherty added.
