THE NUMBER OF people signing on the Live Register fell by 0.5 per cent over 2011 with 434,784 people signing on in December, the lowest figure since last April.
There was a slight decrease in the standardised unemployment rate to 14.3 per cent in December, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office. This is down from 14.4 per cent in November.
Overall in 2011, there were nearly 2,300 less people signing on. The seasonally adjusted figure for those on the Live Register in December was 443,200 – - 3,300 less than in November.
During 2011 the standardised unemployment rate varied between 13.9 per cent and 14.4 per cent- meaning overall the trend is relatively flat. The average standardised unemployment rate for the year 2011 was 14.2 per cent.
This was an increase of 0.5 percentage points from 2010 when the average rate during the year was 13.7 per cent.
During 2011, the number of long term claimants on the Live Register increased by 16.4 per cent.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say