THE NUMBER of people signing on the Live Register fell by 1,000 in October, but the standardised unemployment rate held steady at 14.8 per cent. Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that on a seasonally adjusted basis, 434,200 people were claiming jobseeker’s benefits and allowances last month, about 11,200 fewer than at the same time last year.
The number of people on the Live Register has fallen for four consecutive months, on an adjusted basis, but the number claiming unemployment benefits is just 5,400 fewer than in June.
The standardised unemployment rate has remained “stubbornly high” this year, financial services firm Glas Securities said in a note, varying from 14.7 to 14.9 per cent. A rate of 14.8 per cent has been recorded in seven of the 10 months of the year to date.
“Although the unemployment rate has stabilised this year, this month’s data again does not provide any evidence of a downward movement in the rate.”
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan told reporters that unemployment “has stabilised” and that the Government was “working very hard to create new jobs in a modern economy to get people back to work”.
In the year to the end of October, the number of male claimants fell by 9,050 (-3.3 per cent), to 268,545, and female claimants by 1,210 (0.8 per cent), to 152,387. The number of women signing on rose 3.3 per cent in the same period in 2011.
Despite a 4,661 fall in October, the number of long-term claimants – those signing on for more than a year – rose by 8,344, or 4.6 per cent, this year to 188,117. The number of women in this category increased by 11.5 per cent (5,687) in the 10 months to the end of October, while the number of men was up 2 per cent (2,657).
Trade union Siptu said “the highest priority” should be placed on addressing the issue of long-term unemployment.
The number of under-25s on the Live Register fell by 7,793 in the year to the end of October to 69,916.
The figure was down by 3,782 for the month.
Under-25s comprised 16.6 per cent of the Live Register at the end of October, down from 18.1 per cent at the same point last year and 19.3 per cent in October 2010.
There was a 0.7 per cent (2,467) drop in the number of people aged 25 and over signing on in the year to October, to 350,256.
