The number of people on the Live Register fell by 1,402 in February to 173,127, according to the Central Statistics Office.
The seasonally adjusted figure showed a fall of 900 to 170,000. The unemployment rate remained at 4.7% for the fourth month in a row.
There were falls in the Live Register in all regions of the country last month, with the biggest drops in the West and South-East.
The Live Register figure in February was 1% higher than in the same month last year.
Although the numbers on the dole eased during February there are still 2,500 more people signing on for unemployment payments or credits than there were at the start of the year. 96% of this increase is accounted for by males, and 50% of these males are under the age of 25.
So far this year a total of 53,404 new people have signed on the dole for social welfare payments - an average of 890 people every working day. Against this, a total of 50,881 people signed off after having found employment - an average of 848 per day.
If these trends were to be maintained for the remainder of the year it would result in an increase of 11,000 in the numbers on the dole during 2004.
