Live Register drops to lowest point since early ’09

The number of people claiming the dole has fallen by almost 40,000 in the last 12 months to its lowest level since early 2009.

There were 352,647 people on the Live Register last month, down from 391,507 in November 2013, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The total for November of this year was almost 6,000 less than October.

As of last month there were 166,472 long term claimants, those who had been on the register for more than a year, 13,286 fewer than a year earlier. Long term claimants accounted for 47.2% of the total on the register.

Alan McQuaid, an economist with Merrion Stockbrokers, said

it was “the 29th monthly decrease in a row and was the tenth time running that the adjusted total was below the key psychological 400,000 level”.

“While emigration has been a contributory factor in bringing down the numbers on the Live Register over the past couple of years, there is clear evidence that there is more to it than just that, with employment conditions in the majority of sectors in the economy generally improving in the past few months.”

Fergal O’Brien, Ibec’s chief economist and head of policy, said: “We expect this to be the best Christmas for retail and hospitality in five years. About 35,000 extra will be at work this December compared to last, and almost 96,000 more than in Christmas 2012.”