The number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 3,200 in the past month.

According to the Central Statistics Office, almost 420,000 people are currently on the Live Register. 

The CSO now puts the standardised unemployment rate at 13.5%, down from 13.6% last month and a drop of 1.3% on last year's figure. 

Number signing on down 4% on last year

The numbers signing on the Live Register are now down by 4% since July of last year. The number of long-term claimants, defined as those who sign on for one year or more, has fallen by 1.3 % in the past year. 

However, the number of women who are long-term claimants rose by 4.7%. 

The figure for people aged 25 and under signing on has now fallen by over 8,000, or 10.1%, in the past year.