Monthly employment rate now lowest since May 2008

Unemployment levels have dropped again.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April fell slightly to 5.9%, with just over 140,000 people still without work.

Unemployment levels among men are nearly 1% higher than they are for women.

The monthly unemployment rate has continued to fall month-on-month over the past year to 5.9% in April 2018, representing a total fall in the unemployment rate of 0.9 percentage points since April 2017 when unemployment stood at 6.8%. It is the lowest monthly unemployment rate since May 2008.

Update 1.30pm: Employment Affairs and Social Protection Minister, Regina Doherty, welcomed the figures. She said: “Today is the first time monthly unemployment has fallen to under 6% in 10 years. This is a significant milestone, considering unemployment was at 16% just six years ago."

- Digital Desk