The government is expecting that the number drawing the dole will fall below 400,000 people in the coming week. It has not been that low since May 2009.
The Social Protection Minister has told the Dáil that the coalition just missed reaching the milestone last week.
And Joan Burton says it is a turnaround from when the coalition came to office.
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According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 1,800 in September.
That current rate of unemployment now stands at 13.3%.
Latest figures show that a total of 408,670 people are on the Live Register, which is a drop of more than 20,000 on a year ago.
Figures for September showed a drop for the 12th month in a row.
