Unemployment in September was down by more than 1,700 compared to the same month last year, according to official data.

Figures provided by Jobsplus for September indicate a decrease of 1,503 persons
registering under Part I [new job seekers who have left school, or re-entrants into the labour market, or individuals who have been made redundant by their former employers and a decrease of 214 among those registering under Part II [workers who have been dismissed from work due to disciplinary action, left work out of their own free will, refused work or training opportunities of the unemployment register].

Overall, decreases in registered unemployment were recorded among all age groups. The largest decrease was recorded among persons who had been registering for over one year.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work also decreased by 23 to 375.

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers with 18 per cent and 32.9 per cent respectively.

The registered unemployment rate in April stood at 2.1 per cent of the labour supply, (excluding part-time employment), and varied from 2.4 per cent among men to 1.5 per cent among women.