Seasonally adjusted figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of people on the Live Register rose in April to its highest level since August.
The adjusted figure was up 700 from March to 158,200, but little changed compared with April 2006. The unemployment rate was 4.3%.
The unadjusted total showed a drop of 1,550 to 154,319, with falls in six of the eight regions. The largest fall of 2.2% was in the Mid-West.
