Live Register remains static at 14.8%

The number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 1,000 in October but the standardised rate of unemployment was flat at 14.8 per cent.

On a seasonally adjusted basis a total of 434,200 people were signing on last month, some 11,200 fewer than at the same point last year.

The number of people on the Live Register has fallen for four consecutive months, on an adjusted basis, but the number claiming unemployment benefits is just 5,400 fewer than in June.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said that unemployment "has stabilised”, adding that the Government is "working very hard to create new jobs in a modern economy to get people back to work".

There were 700 fewer men and 300 fewer women in receipt of benefits last month.

The number of male claimants fell by 9,050 (-3.3 per cent) to 268,545 in the year to the end of October and female claimants decreased by 1,210 (0.8 per cent) in the same period to 152,387. In the same period a year earlier, the number of women signing on had risen by 3.3 per cent.

Despite a fall of 4,661 in October, the number of long term claimants, people signing on for more than one year has risen by 8,344 or 4.6 per cent this year.

The number of women in this category has increased by 11.5 per cent (5,687) in the ten months to the end of October, while the number of men has risen by 2 per cent (2,657) in the same period.

There was a 0.7 per cent (2,467) drop in the number of people aged 25 and over on the Live Register in the year to October with the figure for under 25s falling by 7,793 in the same period.

The size of the cohort of under 25s claiming unemployment benefit has fallen in every month since July 2010, which is generally seen as a sign of people emigrating or returning to education.

Under 25s comprised 16.6 per cent of the Live Register at the end of October, down from 18.1 per cent at the same point last year and 19.3 per cent in October 2010.