158,200 claim the dole

NUMBERS claiming unemployment benefit rose to a seasonally adjusted 158,200 in April, the CSO said yesterday.

The Live Register tally rose by 700 from March when there was a fall of 300. April’s jobless claims figure was down 200 on the 2006 figure. The CSO said the standardised unemployment rate in April was 4.3% and 4.2% in March. The latest seasonally adjusted figure, for September to November 2006, is 90,600 people unemployed.