Number on live register falls despite rise in unemployment

The number of people on the live register fell by 3,300 or 1.8 per cent in October despite the rise in headline unemployment.

According to the Central Statistics Office, there were 175,500 claimants on the register in October. The live register is not a measure of unemployment as people with part-time work can be entitled to benefits.

The agency said there were 22,162 people benefiting from the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in the live register figures for October, a decrease of 187 people from September. Most of these people were displaced by the war in Ukraine.

The unadjusted live register total stood at 169,933 people for October, 54.6 per cent were male and 69 per cent were Irish. The 35 to 44 age group made up the largest number of those on the register at 40,060 people or 23.6 per cent.

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Three counties saw an increase in the number of people on the register in the 12 months to October. The highest increase was in Meath at 6.1 per cent – with Leitrim and Sligo both increasing by 2.2 per cent. There were 108,719 people on the Live Register for less than one year.

Last week separate CSO figures showed headline unemployment in the Irish economy rose for a third consecutive month in October. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 4.8 per cent, up from 4.7 per cent in September, 4.5 per cent in August and 4.4 per cent in July.

The 4.8 per cent rate for October corresponded to 132,800 individuals and an annual increase of 13,300, the CSO said.

It came amid a slowdown internationally on the back of higher interest rates and weaker global demand.