Live Register numbers fall by 1,500

The number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 1,500 last month, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The seasonally adjusted register, which also includes casual and part-time workers, was 432,300 in November.

This gave rise to a standardised unemployment rate of 14.6 per cent, down from the 14.7 per cent previous month.

In unadjusted terms, the CSO figures indicated there were 417,277 claimants on the Live Register in November, representing an annual decrease of 12,290 or 2.9 per cent.

The number of male claimants decreased by 10,156 to 266,370 over the year, while female claimants decreased by 2,134 to 150,907.

This compares with a decrease of 3,702 for males and an increase of 8,267 for females in the year to November 2011.

The number of women in the long term category increased by 10.7 per cent or 5,314 in the year to November, while the comparable increase for men was 1 per cent or 1358.

Having peaked at 15 per cent in February, numbers signing on the Live Register have started to decline gradually, a sign that the market has stabilised, according to Merrion economist Alan McQuaid.

He said increased emigration and people staying on longer in education contributed to the fall in numbers signing on.

"As things currently stand, the labour market remains very weak despite the recent fall in the Live Register. That said, there have been positive job announcements not only on the foreign-direct investment side, but from key indigenous companies like Kerry and Paddy Power, in recent weeks."