The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has recorded one of the largest monthly drops in people signing on the Live Register since records began.
Reflecting the current uptick in employment, the latest figures show the number of claimants on the register fell by 7,300 in August, bringing the seasonally adjusted total to 248,500.
The monthly decline was the second largest on record, eclipsed only by a 7,500 decrease last September.
Benefits
While the register is not a measure of unemployment, as people with part-time work can be entitled to benefits, it reflects conditions in the labour market in general.
The latest register tallies with the current decline in headline unemployment, which fell to a nine-year low of 6.3 per cent on Tuesday.
The figures show that in unadjusted terms there was an annual decrease of 51,762 or 16.4 per cent.
The number of males signing on fell by 3,100 (2.1 per cent) in August while females decreased by 4,100 (3.8 per cent).
