The number of people on the Live Register continued to decline last month, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
There was a 1.6 per cent decline in the numbers on the register as an additional 3,200 people left it. This brings the total number still on the register to 200,300, the lowest figure since April 2008.
In unadjusted terms, there were 199,627 persons signing on last month. This represents an annual drop of 15.9 per cent or a decrease of 37,759.
The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment. It includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to jobseekers’ benefit or allowance.
Claimants
The number of males on the register declined by 1,900 or 1.7 per cent during the month and by 23,581 or 17 per cent on an annual basis. The number of female claimants was down 1,400 or 1.6 per cent last month with a 14,178 or 14.1 per cent decline over the 12 months.
According to the data, the number of long-term claimants on the Live Register in January was 79,010, down 19.4 per cent on an annual basis.
There were 41,240 casual and part-time workers on the register last month, while the number of people aged 25 years or under decreased by 4,747 or 18.5 per cent.
