Unemployment rate due to fall to 11% by end of year

The unemployment rate could fall to 11% by the end of this year if live register declines continue apace.

Latest CSO data, published yesterday, show that 4,400 fewer people were registered for unemployment benefits in June than the previous month; bringing the total number of people on the live register to a five-year low of 386,200.

The decline pushes the country’s unemployment rate down to 11.6% — a minor decrease from May’s level of 11.7%, but a significant year-on-year fall, from the 13.3% rate last June.