New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the seasonally adjusted Live Register total for February fell by 1.2% to 174,600 people, a decrease of 2,100 from January.
The CSO said the unadjusted Live Register total stood at 173,982 people for February.
Today’s figures show that 35-44 age group made up the largest number of those on the Live Register in February, represented 23.6% of the those signing on.
Four counties saw an increase in the number of people on the Live Register in the 12 months to February, with the largest in Meath (7.8%) and Leitrim (2.5%), while Laois (1.3%) and Offaly (0.6%) also saw increases.
The CSO noted that there were 111,704 people on the Live Register for less than one year, 10,742 fewer people compared to the same time last year.
It also said that 21,994 people were on the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in the Live Register figures for February, a decrease of 350 people from January. People arriving in Ireland from Ukraine can benefit from this scheme.
The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment as it includes part-time workers as well as seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Figures earlier this week from the CSO showed that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February fell to 4.2% from the rate of 4.5% recorded in January.
Article Source – Live Register figures down 1.2% in February – CSO – RTE