New figures show the number of people on the seasonally adjusted Live Register fell by 6,800 in August.

The Live Register recorded a decrease of 3.1% last month, reducing the seasonally adjusted total to 209,900.

The number of people on the register in August was also the lowest number recorded in the seasonally adjusted series since June 2008.

In unadjusted terms, there were 225,158 persons signing on the Live Register last month.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) says this represents an annual decrease of 39,098, or 14.8%.

In terms of breakdown, the seasonally adjusted Live Register showed a monthly decrease of 2,600 men and 4,100 women in August.

The number of male claimants fell by 24,911 to 123,354 in the year to August 2018.

While female claimants decreased by 14,187 to 101,804.

This compares with a decrease of 30,250 to 148,265 for men, and by 21,512 to 115,991 for women in the year to August 2017.