Fresh evidence of an gradual economic recovery emerged this morning as new figures showed the numbers claiming unemployment assistance fell during November by 1.2 per cent.
Some 164,541 were receiving assistance according to the Live Register last month, a 2,011 drop on October's figures. But this is still 3.7 per cent ahead of November 2002, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said.
The sharpest fall was recorded in Dublin, where numbers signing on slipped 2 per cent. This was followed by the 1.7 per cent in the Midlands. The lowest decreases were in the south west and the mid-eastern region.
The CSO has warned against reading too much into the live register. The research agency says the Quarterly National Household Survey is the best barometer of unemployment.
According to the most recent survey the jobless rate is hold firm at 4.3 per cent, down marginally from 4.4 per cent in October.
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