There were 2,700 less people on the Live Register in February, than in January, according to seasonally adjusted figures.

Figures from the Central Statistics Offices (CSO) show 321,000 signed on last month.

In unadjusted terms, there was an annual drop of 10% in February, compared to the same month in 2015.

Fig 1: CSO graph seasonally adjusted Live Register figures

In February, seasonally adjusted figures show 321,000 people signed on compared to 323,700 the previous month.

According to the CSO statisticians, in unadjusted terms, over 35,000 fewer people signing on now than twelve months ago.

There were 25,637 fewer men signing on in February than there were 12 months earlier, while the number of women was down 9,764.

Fig 2: CSO graph shows claimants by age group

The CSO notes that the Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment.  It includes part-time workers (those who work up to three days a week), seasonal and casual workers entitled to Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA).  

Unemployment is measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey.