Live Register numbers up in January

The number of people claiming unemployment rose by nearly 4,000 to 174,529 last month.

The number of people claiming unemployment rose by nearly 4,000 to 174,529 last month.

Seasonally adjusted, the Live Register was up 1,200 to 171,000, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. As a result the unemployment in January held firm at 4.7 per cent.

But in the year to date the register grew by 2.2 per cent (a 3,374 rise). This compares with a 2.7 per cent rolling increase (a 4,462 rise) in the 12 months to December.

The Central Statistics Office warned that the figures include part-time, seasonal and casual workers and should not be read as a measure of the number out of work.

The vast majority of the monthly increase were men, with an additional 3,374 signing on along with 551 women. The largest increase were in Dublin (up 3.5 per cent) and the mideast (up 3 per cent) -  with the lowest rises recorded in the southwest (up 1.4 per cent) and west (up 1.4 per cent).

Only Leitrim and Mayo saw decreases in the numbers signing on.

The Labour Party spokesman on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Brendan Howlin said today's figures showed "a clear trend upwards in numbers claiming unemployment benefit and assistance, with 4,000 more people on the register than this time last year."

He added that the figures don't tell the full story because recent lay-offs in Munster over the last ten days in Limerick, Killarney and Carrick-on-Suir are not included.