New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the seasonally adjusted Live Register decreased by 0.7% to 176,800 over the month to May.
The CSO said that the unadjusted Live Register total stood at 171,903 for May.
Of the 171,903 people on the Live Register last month, 55.3% were men while around a quarter were in each of the 25-34-year-old (22.3%) and 35-44-year-old (23.7%) age groups.
The CSO also noted that in April, 433,967 people were on the Live Register or were benefitting from the PUP or the EWSS, down from 845,268 the same time last year.
Figures earlier this week from the CSO showed that the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in May from 4.8% in April to return to the level it stood at before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
