THE NUMBER OF people signing the Live Register fell by 900 this month, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows, marking a seventh successive monthly drop.

According to the seasonally-adjusted figures, there were 430,100 people signed on during January 2013.

However, the slight dip was not reflected in the standardised unemployment rate which remained unchanged at 14.6 per cent.

The number of women claiming unemployment benefit climbed by 600, while the number of men receiving jobseekers’ payments declined by 1,500.

Of those on the Live Register during the month, 37,516 were ‘new’ registrants. On average 5,145 male and 4,234 female new registrants joined each week.

The number of long-term claimants – defined as people who have been on the live register for one year or more –  increased by 3.3 per cent to 189,857. There was a significant 10 per cent jump in female long-term applicants.

The live register includes seasonal, part-time and casual workers who also receive some unemployment benefits. About 20.5 per cent of the people on the live register in January were casual or part-time workers.

The figures, which are published on the first Friday of every month, are compiled by the Central Statistics Office using information from local offices of the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

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Small drop in live register figures – but unemployment stays at 14.6 per cent