11% fall in number of dole claimants over last 12 months

The number of people claiming the dole has fallen by almost 40,000, or 11%, in the last 12 months according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The number of male claimants on the Live Register decreased by 26,792, or 12.9%, to 181,512 in the year to April while female claimants fell by 10,974, or 8.1%, to 124,273.

While the number of long-term claimants — those on the register for more than a year — remains high at 138,222, it is still 20,266, or 12.8%, fewer than 12 months earlier.