New figures from the Central Statistics Office today show that the seasonally adjusted Live Register total fell from 159,100 in August to 156,400 in September - a decrease of 2,700. This compares with an increase of 200 in August.
The CSO figures also reveal that in the year to September 2005, there was an unadjusted decrease of 4.4% - a fall of 7,131. This compares with an unadjusted decrease of 6,423, or 3.7%, in the year to August 2005.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.4% last month, down from 4.5% in August.
The CSO said that there was an unadjusted monthly decrease of 16,058 on the Live Register, a fall of 9.5%. This was reflected in falls in all of the country's regions. The largest percentage decrease was in the West (down 11.9%) and the smallest decrease was in Dublin (down 7.9%).
Among counties, the largest percentage decreases were in Roscommon (down 14.%) and Sligo (down 13.5%). The smallest percentage decreases were in Wexford (down 6.7%) and in Clare (down 7.7%).
