The number of people on the Live Register has fallen slightly for the second month in a row.
Central Statistics Office figures show that in January 439,600 people were claiming benefits - a fall of 3,200 on the previous month.
The CSO also said that the unemployment rate fell slightly to 14.2% from 14.3% in December.
The number of people on the dole in January, when adjusted for seasonal factors, was the lowest since April 2010.
A fall in the number of men signing on accounted for 2,300 of the drop last month. The number of women on the Live Register fell by some 800.
The number of women on the Live Register has increased by 3.3% over the past 12 months, in contrast to a 2.8% fall in the number of males claiming.
The headline Live Register figure, which does not take seasonal factors into account, rose by just over 4,800 to 439,589.
The Live Register includes some part-time and seasonal workers and does not measure unemployment.
Almost 42% of claimants on the Live Register have been there for a year or more. The CSO says, however, that the annual rate of increase in long-term claimants has been slowing.
The CSO also notes a downward trend in the number of people under-25 signing on. This figure has fallen by 8.4% in the past 12 months.
There were 42,029 new claims in January, up from 37,931 in December. This figure is not the same as the monthly change in the Live Register, which is affected by people closing claims and moving between different schemes.
The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed has said what is not clear from today's figures are the precise reason for the fall in the Register.
''If the fall is as a result of people taking up work then this would be a very positive development'', said INOU Co-ordinator John Stewart.
However, he said it is more likely that ''the figures are now beginning to reflect the reality that very significant numbers of people have given up hope of finding a job in Ireland and have decided to emigrate".
