New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefits hit another three-year high in July, following a sharp rise in June.
The CSO said the seasonally adjusted Live Register total rose to 163,000 in July, which is an increase of 800 on the month.
This compares with an increase of 2,500 in June.
The largest percentage increase was in the Mid-East region with a 6.5% rise in unemployment, while the smallest percentage increase, of 1.3%, was in the Dublin region.
Amongst counties, the largest percentage increases were in Longford and Carlow, which both rose by 8.8%, and the smallest increases were in Donegal, which rose 2.4%, and Waterford which was up 2.9%.
The Live Register measures the number of people claiming jobseekers' benefit and assistance.
