According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there was a reduction of 2,100 individuals in the live register during February, leading to a seasonally adjusted live register total of 174,600 individuals. This figures marked a 1.2% decrease from the preceding month. It should be noted that the live register does not precisely represent unemployment, as it includes individuals partaking in part-time and casual work who are eligible for benefits.
For February, the unadjusted tally was 173,982, with males making up 55% of this number and 68.5% being Irish. Individuals aged between 35 to 44 formed the biggest proportion of those on the register, with 41,086 people or 23.6% of the total.
A year on year increase in register numbers was witnessed in four counties, with the most significant hikes seen in Meath (7.8%) and Leitrim (2.5%). The register totalled 111,704 people who were included for less than a year, marking a drop of 10,742 people in comparison to February 2023.
CSO’s statistician, Conor Delves, revealed that 21,994 of these figures were beneficiaries of the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, indicating a fall of 350 individuals from January. The register recognised 62,278 people for being registered for more than a year in February, reflecting a rise of 2.6% from the previous year. Nearly two-thirds of the total number were registered for less than one year.
In contrast, data from the previous month indicated a 1,400 person increase in the live register during January, translating to an approximate 0.8% rise from December, resulting in a total of 176,700 individuals.
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