The standardised unemployment rate fell slightly in March as the number of people signing on to the Live Register showed a decline.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office showed unemployment was at 10 per cent last month, down from 10.1 per cent in February.

The Live Register, which also includes part-time and casual workers, fell by 1.3 per cent month on month, with 4,700 fewer people signing on during the month. That brings the total number of people on the register to 350,600 on a seasonally adjusted basis.

There was a monthly fall of 1.4 per cent in the number of men included in the figures, with the total for women declining by 1.3 per cent. Over the year, those figures were a decline of 12.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively.

Long term claimants accounted for 160,403, an annual fall of 10.6 per cent. Around 54 per cent were short-term claimants, down slightly from 54.2 per cent a month earlier. Over the year, that fall rose to 11.1 per cent.

Casual and part-time workers accounted for 20.5 per cent of the total Live Register in March, down 10.5 per cent over the year.