The number of people on the Live Register fell by 3,500 last month.

The Central Statistics Office has released its latest figures, with the total number of people signing on in June moving to 305,600.

There was more than 40,000 less people signing on in June when compared with the same time last year, with a 13.6% decrease in the number of long term claimants recorded in the year to 143,832.

The number of male claimants were down 2,900 (a 1.6% drop) in June, while the number of women on the Live Register was down 600, or a decrease of 0.5% compared with May.

Annual decreases in those aged under 25 have occurred in all months since July 2010, while the number of persons aged 25 and over have fallen annually in all months since July 2012.

The percentage of persons aged under 25 on the Live Register now stands at 12.5% for June 2016, down from 13.9% in June 2015 and 15.4% in June 2014.