Jobs lost in the economy continued to exceed the numbers of jobs created from July to September, according to seasonally adjusted figures published yesterday by the Central Statistics Office.

The net loss of 5,800 jobs between the second and third quarters of the year is broadly in line with the average quarterly declines in the past two years.

Quarter on quarter, employment increased in half of the sectors for which figures are available. The education sector added 2,600 jobs betwen the second and third quarters, more than any other. The finance and real estate sectors increased employment by 2,400.

Among the sectors shedding jobs on the quarter, industry and agriculture suffered the sharpest declines, losing a combined 4,000 jobs.

The total number in employment stood at 1,826,900 in the third quarter. Since job numbers peaked almost five years ago, the numbers employed have fallen by 333,000.

The figures also show that despite a decline in employment, the number of unemployed people in the economy fell too.

The Quarterly National Household Survey showed there were 318,300 people out of work in the third quarter, a decline of 2,000 on three months earlier.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched down from 14.9 per cent in the second quarter to 14.8 per cent in the third quarter.

The male jobless rate stood at 17.8 per cent, while 11 per cent of the female labour force was unemployed.

Long-term unemployed figures, which are not seasonally adjusted, registered a second consecutive quarterly decline in the number of people out work for one year or more. In the third quarter 193,000 had not worked in more than a year, down by 11,000 from peak six months earlier.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said that no comfort could be taken from the latest unemployment figures and warned that underlying figures and trends were quite chilling.

Ictu chief economist Paul Sweeney said the latest figures highlighted the need to invest in jobs in next week’s budget.

Small business group Isme said the figures highlighted that the Government needed to prioritise employment initiatives in next Wednesday’s budget and reassess its “ineffective jobs strategy”.