Live Register numbers down for June

Figures for June show that the Live Register total is at its lowest in five years.

The numbers signing on fell by 4,400, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), reducing the seasonally adjusted total to 386,200.

In unadjusted terms, there were nearly 400,000 people signing on the Live Register last month. This represents a decrease of 8.4% on last year.

The standardised unemployment rate in June 2014 was 11.6%, a slight fall compared to May.

The CSO also reports that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from the most recent Quarterly National Household Survey was 12% in the first quarter of the year.

The number of male claimants fell by 10.4%, while the number of female claimants was down by over 5%.

The number of long-term claimants also dropped by 8,650 and 52.6% (209,955) of all claimants on the Live Register were short-term.