The number of people signing on the Live Register rose to 12.4 per cent of the workforce in August, according to Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures.
Data released today show that the rate of increase last month slowed for the seventh consecutive month as 5,400 people signed on for jobseekers' benefits in August, bringing the seasonally adjusted number of claimants to 428,800.
The unadjusted total was 444,056, compared with a total of 423,400 in July.
The average net weekly increase in people joining the Live Register in August was 1,350, down from 2,100 in July and 3,000 during the previous month.
The 12.4 per cent unemployment rate compares with an 12.2 per cent figure in July and is more than three times the average unemployment rate in 2007 when it averaged 4 per cent.
Over the last year there has been a 78 per cent increase in the number of people signing on or a rise of 192,700 people, down from 83 per cent in July.
The live register is not designed to measure unemployment as it includes part-time and seasonal workers. Unemployment is measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey which recorded an jobless rate of 10.2 per cent at the end of June.