Live Register reaches eight-year low

The number of people signing on the Live Register last month hit its lowest level since November 2008.

New figures from the Central Statistics Office, show a monthly decrease of 2,800 in November 2016, reducing the seasonally adjusted total to 285,600.

The number of male claimants dropped by 1.4% last month to 159,174, while the number of women signing on decreased by 0.3% to 114,310.

The data also shows that long-term claimant numbers fell in November to 121,888.