The number of people out of work in the month of January has fallen further. There are now 176,162 people on the live register, a decrease of 377. However, when seasonally adjusted that figure comes down to 171,700. In the past twelve months, the live register fell by almost 38,000. The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Dermot Ahern said that the falling live register was an indicator of the continuing success of Government policies.
The booming economy is continuing to attract large numbers in search of work. Over the past six years nearly a quarter of a million people arrived here. By far the largest category, over 120,000, is returned emigrants.
