THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE on Ireland’s live register fell for the third successive month last month, with 4,200 fewer people signing on in November 2010 than in the month before.

438,800 people were signing on in November, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office, a drop of just under 1%.

Though the number of people signing on was higher than it was during the same month last year, when 427,000 were in receipt of benefits, it was well off the peak of three months ago when that amount stood at 455,000.

A breakdown of the figures showed that over a third of those signing on had now been doing so for over twelve months.

The unemployment rate also fell moderately, down from 13.6% to 13.5%.

The Live Register itself is not a measure of unemployment; it includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers who are still entitled to receive jobseekers benefit or allowance depending on their earnings.

Social Protection minister Éamon Ó Cuív has welcomed the publication of the figures, saying they provided “further evidence that the Live Register is stabilising”.

Though he acknowledged that unemployment levels remained high and that job creation remained a key concern, Ó Cuív welcomed the reduction which marked the biggest drop in the month of November since 1999.

“Our National Recovery Plan will enable us to build upon the many positive aspects of our economy so that we can return to a sustainable medium-term growth path. The measures it contains will remove barriers to growth; boost our competitiveness and restore order to our public finances.”