Live Register hits new post-crash low

The number of benefit claimants on the Live Register is now at an 11-year low, reflecting the buoyant state of the jobs market.

A monthly drop of 700 or 0.4 per cent was recorded in April, which brought the seasonally adjusted total to 194,700, Central Statistics Office figures show.

This was the lowest number recorded in the seasonally adjusted series since February 2008. In unadjusted terms it represented an annual decrease of 30,484 or 13.6 per cent .

While the register is not a measure of unemployment as people with part-time work can be entitled to benefits, it reflects conditions in the labour market in general and has fallen in tandem with the official unemployment measure, which was put at 5.4 per cent last month.