The number of people signing on the live register fell by just 200 or 0.1 per cent in July when seasonal factors are taken into account, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The marginal decrease contrasts with a decrease of 4,000 people on the seasonally-adjusted live register in June. It means the unemployment rate effectively remains at 6.6 per cent.

Numbers signing on the register increased last month, due mainly to seasonal lay-offs. These were mainly associated with the summer closing of some factories and the primary school holiday period for July and August. This results in temporary workers, contract cleaners and other "support operations" signing on, according to a CSO spokesman.

There are 203,231 people registered as signing on, an increase of 5,836 on the previous month. But, in the past year, the numbers of people signing on have decreased by 29,700, most of which is accounted for by 21,126 males signing off.

However, the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed said the lack of progress on unemployment in the past month was a warning to guard against complacency. It repeated its call for an assessment of the effectiveness of the Government's employment action plan.

When seasonal variations are factored out, there are 197,100 people on the register. Strictly speaking, the register is not a measurement of the unemployment rate as it includes some part-time workers and casual workers who qualify for dole.

But the underlying, seasonally-adjusted trend continues to favour males over females. The number of men signing on fell by 1,100 in July, but the underlying number of women signing on grew by 900, for reasons which are unclear. "The increase in females was more than would have been accounted for by seasonal factors alone," the CSO spokesman said.

The trend could reflect increased numbers of women opting out or being forced out of full-time jobs and taking part-time jobs, or a new seasonal factor emerging.

The Labour spokeswoman on equality and law reform, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, said the figures showed women were still the most vulnerable workers in the economy and the underlying increase of 900 women signing on the register was a matter of concern.

The Fine Gael spokeswoman on enterprise, trade and employment, Mrs Nora Owen, said the rise in the unadjusted figure was worrying at a time when the Government was claiming full employment.