Irish unemployment rate falls to 4.4%

A further fall in the number claiming  unemployment benefit in April has reduced the estimated Irish unemployment rate to 4

A further fall in the number claiming  unemployment benefit in April has reduced the estimated Irish unemployment rate to 4.4 per cent, according to statistics released today.

April's Live Register figures show the number of people signing on decreased by 4,220 or 2.5 per cent to 164,660. This compares with a corresponding increase of 2,881 (+1.7 per cent ) in April of last year.

When seasonal factors are taken into account, the seasonally adjusted total fell from 170,400 in March to 166,200 this month, a fall of 4,200.

The figures are consistent with the upturn in activity reported by businesses and buoyant income tax revenue reported by the Department of Finance.

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Although the Live Register is not accepted as an accurate measure of unemployment, as it excludes a number of people who are jobless, the figures can be standardised to give an estimated unemployment rate of 4.4 per cent based on the last Quarterly National Household Survey.

The last survey conducted in October posted a jobless rate of 4.6 per cent. The survey is accepted as a more accurate gauge of unemployment as it asks people what they consider to be their primary economic status and is more reflective of labour market conditions.