There are now almost 200,000 more people on the Live Register than this time last year.
However, latest figures show that the number of people signing on rose at its slowest rate this year in August.
Read the CSO figures here
The Central Statistics Office said the number of people signing on last month was 440,056, an increase of 4,321 from July. This compares with a rise of more than 17,000 in July.
Adjusted for seasonal factors, the figure was 428,800, up 5,400 from July. July's rise was 10,500, while monthly increases of up to 33,000 were recorded earlier this year.
The unemployment rate rose again, from 12.2% in July to 12.4% in August.
The annual pace of growth also slowed - though the number of people on the dole is still almost 78% higher than in August last year.
