Numbers signing on Live Register lowest since November 2008

The number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 1.2 per cent last month and was down 14 per cent on an annual basis, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

There were 3,300 fewer people on the register in December, reducing the overall total to 282,400, the lowest number since November 2008.

The Live Register includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to jobseekers’ benefit or allowance. Separate CSO figures published earlier this week, put the State’s jobless rate at 7.2 per cent for December.

The number of male claimants fell by 1.3 per cent versus November and by 16 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier. Female claimants declined by 0.9 per cent on a monthly basis and by 6.7 per cent versus December 2015.

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Annual decreases in the number of people on the register under the age of 25 have occurred in all months since July 2010. The percentage of young people on the register in December fell to 11 per cent, as against 12 per cent a year earlier and 13.5 per cent in December 2014.

According to the CSO, there were 119,911 long-term claimants on the register last month, down 18 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier. Long-term male claimants decreased by 19,267 or 20.7 per cent year-on-year and female claimants by 6,996 or 13.2 per cent.

Casual workers

There were 59,940 casual and part-time workers on the Register in December, which represents 21.7 per cent of the total number. This compares with 20.4 per cent a year earlier when there were 65,678 casual and part-time workers signing on.

In the year to December, the number of casual and part-time workers decreased by 5,738, or 8.7 per cent.

By profession, craft and related trades remained the largest occupation group on the register despite an 19.5 per cent decline in the last year.

Irish nationals accounted for 82.7 per cent of the total number of people signing on last month, the figures show.

Data up to the end of November shows there were 71,829 individuals on “activation programmes” aimed at getting the long-term unemployed back to work. This marks an 11.6 per cent decline versus the same month a year earlier.

People on activation programmes are not counted as part of the monthly Live Register.