There has been another drop in the unemployment rate.

Figures published by the CSO show it was 8.6% in January, down from 8.8% in December.

The number of people out of work in January was 186,700, down 3,000 on December - or a drop of 30,500 on January 2015.

The figures show that the overall unemployment rate has fallen from the 12.2% figure recorded in January 2014.

Image: CSO

Meanwhile, the latest CSO figures also show that the youth unemployment rate (covering people aged 15-24 years) was 19.1% in January 2016 - down slightly on 19.2% in December 2015.