Unemployment under 400,000 for first time since 2009

The number of people on the live register has dropped below 400,000 for the first time since the collapse of the economy in 2009.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the seasonally adjusted live register fell by 2,500 in February to 398,300 — the lowest total since May 2009. This represents an annual decline of 30,807, or 7.2%.

It is also the 20th month in a row where a decrease in the number of jobless has been recorded. The standardised unemployment rate in February was 11.9%, down from 12% in January — its lowest rate in four years.