There has been a fall in the number of people on the Live Register in September.
However when adjusted for seasonal factors, the numbers rose slightly.
This has left the unemployment rate unchanged at 12.6%.
There were 423,639 people claiming unemployment benefit and assistance in September, a drop of just over 16,000 compared to August.
September is traditionally the month when part time workers in the education sector return to work, so when adjusted for this seasonal factor the Live Register recorded a slight increase of 600.
The overall effect has been to keep the unemployment rate steady at 12.6%.
While the fall in the numbers on the Live Register is over twice what it was in September last year, there are still over 183,000 more people on the Register than a year ago.
The unemployment rate has remained around the 12% mark now since June.
