The number of people claiming unemployment benefit increased in November but the overall rate of unemployment was unchanged, according to the latest statistics.
The seasonally adjusted Live Register for November reported 157,700 claimants, an increase of 1,100 on the October figure.
The monthly increase was made up of an increase of 1,200 females and a slight decrease of 100 males on the register.
The standardised unemployment rate in November was 4.3 per cent.
The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment as it includes part-time , seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment assistance or benefit.
The Quarterly National Household Survey is the widely accepted gauge for unemployment and its most recent edition recorded an unemploymnet rate of 4.3 per cent at the end of September.