Economist claims jobless rate has peaked

Despite the first rise in the number of dole claimants in five months, a senior economist still believe the country’s jobless rate may have peaked.

The latest Live Register figures showed that in April there was an increase of 100 in the numbers of people claiming the dole compared to March. The total stands at 436,000. The unemployment rate remains unchanged at 14.3%, up from 14.2 in Apr 2011.

The number of male claimants decreased by 9,337 (-3.3%) to 277,408 over the year and female claimants decreased by 233 (-0.2%) to 152,593.