Numbers claiming dole falls 7% in year

The numbers of people claiming the dole fell to a seasonally-adjusted total of just under 396,900 last month, the lowest since April 2009. The figure was exactly 30,000 or 7% less than a year earlier when 426,900 people were on the Live Register.

However, on a much less positive note the rate at which long-term claimants — those claiming for more than a year — are coming off the dole is much less rapid. Last month, there were 179,335 people in that position — compared to 187,896 in March 2013. Figures show the percentage of long-term claimants has only fallen by less than 5%.

Nonetheless, Alan McQuaid, economist with Merrion Stockbrokers was upbeat about the latest live register totals, pointing out it was the 21st month decrease in a row and the second time the adjusted total was below 400,000.