The number of people claiming unemployment benefit increased slightly last month. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number on the seasonally adjusted live register rose to 157,700 in November from 156,600 in October.

The increase of 1,100 was made up of an increase of 1,200 in the number of women signing on, while the number of men on the live register fell by 100.

On a 12-month basis, the numbers signing on fell by 1.2 per cent. The standardised unemployment rate in November was 4.3 per cent.

This tallies with the official labour market figures which were released during the week. The Quarterly National Household Survey for the period June to August found that employment was growing by 5 per cent year-on-year and that the unemployment rate was holding steady at 4.3 per cent.

Davy Stockbrokers said yesterday that the Irish labour market was "incredibly stable", with the live register fluctuating within a range of 154,000- 159,000 all year.

They pointed out that the live register total in the September to November period fell by 1 per cent compared to the June to August period.

"So, if anything, we expect the official employment release for the fourth quarter to be at least as good as this week's when it is released at the end of February."

The estimated number of casual and part-time workers on the live register was 7,529 males and 12,573 females, according to the CSO.

The unadjusted figure for the total on the register was 150,073 compared to 149,644 the previous month.