Live Register falls by 2,688 in May

The number of people signing on the Live Register decreased by 2,688 in May to 161,972 but seasonally adjusted the figure was…

The number of people signing on the Live Register decreased by 2,688 in May to 161,972 but seasonally adjusted the figure was up by almost 2,000, figures released this morning show.

The data from the Central Statistics Office put the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming unemployment assistance at 168,000 in May compared to 166,200 in April. The standardised unemployment rate in May was 4.5 per cent.

The Live Register includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment assistance or benefit.

Unemployment is measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey and the latest seasonally adjusted figure, for September-November 2003, is 88,000 persons unemployed.