The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for last month was down slightly on September.

Figures from the CSO put the rate at 9.3% in October, down from 9.4% the previous month and from 10.6% 12 months ago.

The number of unemployed people was 203,000, a drop of 1,900 on September, but a decrease of almost 25,000 on October 2014.

Meanwhile, an ESRI study release today has shown that a government back-to-education scheme for jobseekers did not improve their prospects - in fact, participants were 38% less likely to find work after doing the course.

And in the North, there was news today that Michelin Tyres in Ballymena is to close with the loss of 850 jobs.