IRELAND’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE fell slightly in April, but remained close to its recent peak, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office.

The unemployment rate now stands at 14.6 per cent, down by 0.1 per cent from March – the first time this year that the figure has dropped, under the CSO’s most recent revisions.

Though the figures are the lowest of the year so far, the unemployment rate is falling only slowly from its peak of 14.8 per cent last year.

By comparison, a year ago the unemployment rate stood at 13.1 per cent; three years ago, it was a mere 5.3 per cent.

The CSO’s stats also showed that the numbers on the live register were unchanged, though this amounts to a seasonal adjustment of -1,600 when compared to March. The CSO’s analysis showed that the entire fall in the numbers signing on came from males coming off the register.

The number of casual and part-time workers on the Live Register was up by around 6,500 compared to last year; they now account for 19.5 per cent of those on the live register, compared to 12.4 per cent three years ago.

There are now 439,200 people in receipt of state welfare payments for unemployment – just under 10,000 off its peak of September last year.