The sharp underlying fall in the numbers on the Live Register continued last month, according to the Live Register Statement for December published this morning by the Central Statistics Office.
The statement showed that the numbers signing on totaled 141,586 at the end of December. This was a rise of 4,624 compared with the total for November.
However, the Live Register usually rises during December due to temporary workers in schools, colleges and other organisations being temporarily laid off for the Christmas holiday period.
This year, however, these temporary layoffs were partly offset by strong jobs growth elsewhere in the economy and as a result the rise in the Live Register total was significantly smaller than usual for December.
When the Live Register total is adjusted to take account for these seasonal factors, today's statement shows the underlying total fell by 5,300 last month. The 141,586 people on the Live Register at the end of last year represent an unemployment rate of just 3.6% of the labour force, down from 4.3% last April.
It also means that Ireland's rate of unemployment has been cut by two thirds over the past four years. Today's figures also show that the numbers on the Live Register fell by 35,000 last year alone.
The Live Register includes thousands of people who sign on for social welfare credits and receive no payment and also thousands who are engaged in part time employment. The most accurate measure of Irish unemployment is provided by the Quarterly national Household survey which estimates that only 77,700 people are truly unemployed.
