Opposition claims jobless decline due to emigration

A FALL in the numbers claiming unemployment benefits to 425,002 last month has been welcomed by the Government, but largely put down to increased emigration by opposition parties.

The November Live Register seasonally-adjusted decline of 4,200 was the third consecutive month that the numbers receiving unemployment benefit have fallen.

The standardised unemployment rate, which is calculated separately to the Live Register, fell to 13.5% in November, down marginally from 13.6% the previous month.