The number of people on the live register was down by 7,000 people, or 3.8 per cent, in August compared with the previous month, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.
Although the live register is not a measure of unemployment as people with part-time work can be entitled to benefits, it does broadly track changes in the labour market.
The seasonally adjusted data shows there were a total of 175,900 people on the register last month. The unadjusted live register total stood at 186,396 people for August.
Of the 186,396 people on the unadjusted live register, 52.4 per cent were men and 69.9 per cent were Irish. The 35-44 age group made up the largest number at 43,429 people, or 23.3 per cent.
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Four counties showed an increase in the number of people on the register. They were Leitrim (5.7 per cent), Kerry (2.6 per cent), Mayo (1.5 per cent) and Donegal (0.8 per cent).
There were 23,392 people benefitting from the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in the figures for August, which was an increase of 115 people from July.
The number of people on the live register for one year or more in August was 66,147, which was 2,123 fewer people than a year earlier.
There were 120,249 people on the live register for less than one year, which represents just under two-thirds of the total number on the Live Register.
Furthermore, the number of jobseekers benefit claims decreased by 15,507 (26.7 per cent) in August compared with 12 months earlier.
