The Irish unemployment rate remained at a post crash low of 7.8 per cent in June as conditions in the jobs market continue to improve.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2016 was 7.8 per cent , unchanged from May 2016 and down from 9.4 per cent in June 2015.

The seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed was 169,100 in June 2016, a decrease of 500 when compared to the May 2016 figure or a decrease of 34,600 when compared to June 2015.

In June 2016 the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.1 per cent for males, down from 9.2 per cent in May 2016 and down from 10.7% in June 2015.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for females in June 2016 was 6.2 per cent, unchanged from May 2016 and down from 7.9 per cent in June 2015.

The seasonally adjusted number of males unemployed in June 2016 was 107,800.

This is a decrease of 1,100 when compared to the May 2016 figure of 108,900.

In June 2016 the seasonally adjusted number of females unemployed was 61,300, an increase of 700 when compared to May 2016.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for persons aged 15-24 years (youth unemployment rate) was 15.3 per cent in June 2016, an increase from 15.1 per cent in May 2016.

At the height of the financial crisis in 2012 , youth unemployment, considered by many as the most enduring legacy of the crash, reached 31.3 per cent in Ireland.

Having had one of the highest jobless rates in Europe only a few years ago, Ireland's unemployment rate is now well below the euro zone average of 10.2 per cent.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises chief executive Mark Fielding welcomed the reduction in the monthly unemployment figures but warned that the slowdown in job creation was due to the effects of Brexit and industrial relations uncertainty.

“The recent negative fluctuation of the euro vis a vis sterling shows how vulnerable the economy is to external factors and, once again, demonstrates the need to drive productivity as a sustainable defense to a more challenging external environment,” said Mr Fielding.

“The tax and welfare system must be used to put money back into people’s pockets, rather than facilitating and promising further wage increases. The notion of pushing up wage costs at this juncture fails to recognise the business realities in what is still a very challenging economic environment for the SME sector,” said Mr Fielding.